Last year, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the budget trailer bill, Senate Bill (SB) 155 into law. The bill modifies the deadline and reporting period for surface water diversion reports submitted annually to the State Water Resources Control Board’s Division of Water Rights.

The Changes

• The new reporting period is aligned with the standard Water Year (Oct. 1–Sept. 30).
• All surface water rights holders, whether riparian, pre-1914, permitted, licensed or small domestic use, small irrigation use and stock pond registrations, now have the same reporting deadline. In 2022, the deadline is April 1. In every subsequent year, the deadline is Feb. 1.

The new reporting periods and deadlines are outlined below. In every subsequent year after the April 1, 2022, reporting deadline, the deadline will be Feb. 1.

The Impact

These changes signal a broader effort to modernize diversion reporting and make more robust use of the information reported by water users in managing California’s surface water resources.