The State Water Resources Control Board on Tuesday issued a notice lifting water diversion restrictions for the holders of all senior water rights in the Sacramento-San Joaquin watersheds and Delta. The Board issued the...more
Bills Addresses Traditional Costs and Delays in Adjudications -
On October 9, 2015, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a pair of bills designed to streamline groundwater basin adjudications and align them with requirements under...more
SB 13 Provides Clarifications and Revisions to SGMA -
Yesterday, Gov. Jerry Brown signed SB 13, which amends the groundbreaking Sustainable Groundwater Management Act enacted last year. The amendment streamlines certain...more
Guidelines Will Drive Funding Process; Comments Due Oct. 5 -
With the passage of the Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014 (Proposition 1), California voters authorized the issuance of $7.1...more
We’ve all heard the good news by now: Californians have slashed water usage by 31 percent — way beyond Gov. Jerry Brown’s order for a 25 percent reduction....more
Public Comments Due Sept. 4 -
The California Department of Water Resources has released draft emergency regulations governing how groundwater basin boundaries may be modified or redrawn under the state’s Sustainable...more
In the first of possibly many enforcement actions this year, the State Water Resource Control Board issued a draft cease-and-desist order against West Side Irrigation District in Tracy, Calif., demanding the District curb its...more
From restrictions on yard irrigation to public awareness campaigns, California’s water suppliers are using a variety of approaches to meet mandatory water cutbacks resulting from the drought. Here are some notable examples...more
Any plans to “substantially divert” water from a river or stream requires notification to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, the California Court of Appeal found. In reversing a lower court’s decision that favored...more
Just as it did in 2014, the State Water Resources Control Board has issued several notices of curtailment for surface water rights holders in various watersheds because California’s extreme drought has resulted in...more
State Water Resources Control Board Cites Need to Avoid Potential “Catastrophic Impacts” -
The State Water Resources Control Board released revisions to its draft emergency regulations to restrict overall potable urban...more
Recent Rainfall Not Enough to Stop Drought Emergency Measures -
Despite some rainfall and the temporary lifting of certain 2014 surface water curtailment notices during the fall, the drought emergency in California...more
Public Agencies Wishing to Dispute Basin Prioritization or Boundaries Should Submit Comments As Soon As Possible -
Under the new groundwater legislation, the California Department of Water Resources must establish the...more
Gov. Jerry Brown stood outside the governor’s mansion Tuesday night before cameras and supporters to accept his easily-won victory in capturing a fourth term. But it wasn’t that personal, unprecedented triumph he wanted to...more
California Water Supplies Likely to be Impacted -
In a reversal potentially impacting the water supply to millions of Californians, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently upheld a biological opinion issued by the...more
BB&K's Steven Anderson and Lucas Quass Offer Tips for Environmental Mitigation -
Like private development, public projects must frequently obtain and comply with a variety of state and federal regulatory permits. Too...more
The revival of animal species that have long been extinct is no longer limited to works of science fiction such as Michael Crichton’s thriller, Jurassic Park. In 2009, a Pyrenean Ibex was cloned from frozen tissue obtained...more
Governor Jerry Brown last week issued a drought state of emergency declaration in response to record-low water levels in California’s rivers and reservoirs as well as an abnormally low snowpack. The declaration, issued...more