2021 Water Diversion and Use Reports Due April 1 for All Diverters

I'm late on posting this, but thought it might still be useful...

2021 Water Diversion and Use Reports Due April 1 for All Diverters

By CCA Vice President of Government Affairs Kirk Wilbur for CCA's Legislative Bulletin 

Under the Emergency Regulation for Measuring and Reporting the Diversion of Water adopted by the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) in 2016, all water rights holders must annually report their diversion and use of water to the SWRCB. This year, ALL reports of water diversion and use for January 1 – September 30, 2021 are due April 1. The reports must be made electronically using the SWRCB's Report Management System, here.

The uniform April 1 due date differs from prior years. While water rights holders diverting water under a permit, license, registration or certificate have long been required to report by April 1, those filing Statements of Diversion and Use for riparian and pre-1914 water rights have in the past had until July 1 to file their reports. 
 
The change in reporting dates was occasioned by a 2021 budget trailer bill, SB 155. Beginning with 2023's reports, SB 155 changes the reporting period from the calendar year to the water year (October 1 – September 30) and establishes a uniform reporting deadline for all water rights of February 1.
 
As the SWRCB implements this transition, SB 155 sets April 1 as the reporting deadline for all diversion and use reports filed in 2022. In filing this year's reports, diverters will report their diversion and use of water only for the nine month “stub period” of January 1, 2021 – September 30, 2021. With the transition to water-year reporting, the months of October through December will be reflected in your 2023 report. It is important to note that reporting is still required regardless of if diversion occured or not. 

In February, Noah Lopez of the California Cattlemen's Foundation's Rancher Technical Assistance Program (RTAP) hosted an educational webinar to go over these changes to the SWRCB's water diversion and use reporting deadlines and to answer producer questions regarding the change. A recording of that webinar can be viewed here, and any questions may be directed to the RTAP team at (916) 406-6902 or via email at rtap@wrstrat.com. Also be sure to listen to the most recent episode of Sorting Pen: The California Cattleman Podcast "Sorting through the due date changes for water measurement and use reporting."

RTAP provides free regulatory assistance for all cattle ranchers in California with support from the California Cattle Council.