On November 5, 2021, East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) filed a petition for temporary change with the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) to transfer up to 658 acre-feet of water pursuant to Water Code section 1725 et seq. With the petition, EBMUD seeks authorization to temporarily transfer up to 658 acre-feet of water made available as a result of recycled water use in EBMUD’s service areas in lieu of using surface water diverted under License 11109.
The water will be transferred to North San Joaquin Water Conservation District (NSJWCD), where farmers will use the transferred water to irrigate their crops in lieu of pumping groundwater for irrigation during the 2022 irrigation season.
EBMUD also requested the transferred water be dedicated for fish and wildlife enhancement purposes in the Mokelumne River between Camanche Dam downstream to the NSJWCD South Pump Station, pursuant to Water Code section 1707. Temporary changes approved pursuant to Water Code section 1725 may be effective for up to one year.
A link to the public notice and petition submittal is available on the State Water Board’s website at: 2021 Notices.
The 30-day comment period per Water Code section 1726(f) has been reduced to 15 days per the Governor Newsom’s Proclamation of a State of Emergency in the Klamath River, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, and Tulare Lake Watershed Counties due to drought (Drought Proclamation) dated May 10, 2021. The Drought Proclamation will help expedite processing of water transfers. Comments filed in response to this notice must be received by November 24, 2021.
For more information regarding this matter, please contact Kate Gaffney by email at kathryn.gaffney@waterboards.ca.gov.
