Supply and Demand Assessment (SDA) Information

From 2020 to 2023, in response to drought conditions, the State Water Board implemented various actions, including emergency regulations requiring curtailment of water rights in key watersheds. The Water Board's drought effort highlighted the need for specialized tools that can be used to evaluate water supply and demand and support broader water management. The Division of Water Rights (Division), Supply and Demand Assessment Unit (SDA) was established in 2022 to develop water supply models and refine water demand data for select watersheds throughout California. This work builds on the Drought Water Rights Action Tool (DWRAT) developed for the Russian River watershed during the recent drought.

For selected watersheds, the SDA Unit will focus on:

• Development and refinement of hydrologic models that provide information on water supply.
• Refinement of water use data, including evaluation of the annual water use data submitted by water right holders each year, that will be used to assess water demand in different water years.
• Development and refinement of water allocation tools used to evaluate how different water use decisions impact water supply in a given watershed.

These tools are being developed as open-source models and information that can be used by interested parties to inform water management options in a watershed, as well as future actions the Board may take during droughts and water shortage conditions. This work will provide the Board with additional resources to protect water availability in accordance with water right priority and public trust resources.

April 26, 2024 – Public Meetings on May 14, May 21, and June 3 for SDA Watershed Selection
Division of Water Rights staff will hold a series of Public Meetings to discuss the selection of watersheds for new water supply and demand modeling efforts. The meeting series will include three physical meeting locations with an option to attend the final meeting virtually. For further details, please visit the Outreach and Engagement section below. Please email questions regarding the public meetings to DWR-SDA@waterboards.ca.gov

Public Meetings on the Selection of Additional Watersheds for Water Supply and Demand Modeling

Staff plan to hold three public meetings in mid-2024 to discuss the selection of watersheds for water supply and demand modeling efforts. Three pilot watersheds were selected (Butte Creek, Napa River, Navarro River), with plans to expand the modeling effort to include additional watersheds of interest. This modeling effort will also focus on the development of water allocation tools, similar to those used by the State Water Board in the Russian River watershed during the recent drought. Staff continue to maintain the water availability tools developed for the Russian River and will provide information on these tools and how this effort may contribute to the development of other water allocation tools.

Meeting Locations

• North Coast Public Meeting
  Tuesday, May 14, 2024, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
  Council Chambers (2nd Floor) at the Eureka City Hall, 531 K Street, Eureka, CA 95501
  
• Central Coast Public Meeting
  Tuesday, May 21, 2024, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm
  Monterey Room (2nd Floor) at the County of Monterey Government Center Building, 168 West Alisal Street, Salinas, CA 93901
  
• Sacramento + Virtual Public Meeting
  Monday, June 3, 2024, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm
  Sierra Hearing Room (2nd Floor) at the Joe Serna Jr. CalEPA Building, 1001 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
  This meeting will also have a virtual option available via the CalEPA Public Meeting Webcast webpage (https://video.calepa.ca.gov/).

Meeting Details

• Notice of Public Meeting and meetings details
• SDA Fact Sheet on Water Supply and Demand Assessments

Opportunity for Public Input
Staff will be accepting written comments on the selection of watersheds until 12:00 pm on Monday, June 17, 2024. Please email comments to: DWR-SDA@waterboards.ca.gov

• Drought Information Updates
• Drought Tools and Methods