From the State Water Resources Control Board:
All curtailments of water rights and claims of right within the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) watershed issued pursuant to Initial Orders Imposing Water Right Curtailment and Reporting Requirements in the Delta Watershed (Order for water rights/claims under 5,000 acre-feet and Order for water rights/claims over 5,000 acre-feet) remain temporarily suspended until further notice. Water supply forecasts will continue to be evaluated regularly to determine if, when, and to what extent reimposition of curtailments is appropriate. Notice of any reimposed curtailments will be provided by email and web posting at least 48 hours prior to going into effect.
The determination of water unavailability used to inform curtailments is based on the Water Unavailability Methodology for the Delta Watershed. Today’s update considers observed water supply data and forecasts from the California Nevada River Forecast Center (CNRFC) that were updated on January 9, 2023. The 50 percent exceedance water supply forecast was selected to determine curtailments at this time. Demand data informing today’s curtailment status update are based on reported diversions from 2018 and reported projections of demands submitted under the enhanced reporting provisions of the emergency curtailment and reporting regulation for the Delta watershed. Both 2018 diversion data and projected demand data submitted via enhanced reporting are reviewed and adjusted through an ongoing QA/QC process. For more information on enhanced reporting in the Delta watershed, please visit the Enhanced Reporting Webpage.
Suspension of curtailments should not be construed as a validation of water right claims or an authorization to divert. Existing reporting requirements and constraints on water right permits and licenses, such as seasonal diversion restrictions and bypass flow requirements, remain in effect. In addition, all water right holders and claimants may only divert under valid water rights and are not authorized to divert if it would result in injury to other water users. If water right holders or claimants believe their water rights are being impacted by the suspension of curtailments, they may notify the State Water Board by emailing Bay-Delta@
The data used to support curtailments and other relevant information are available on the State Water Board’s FTP site. To access the documents posted on the FTP site, please email Bay-Delta@waterboards.ca.gov to obtain login credentials.
Water right holders and claimants are responsible for monitoring their curtailment status online on the Delta Watershed Curtailment Status List. Notice of changes to curtailment status will not be mailed. For those with limited internet access, a prerecorded curtailment summary can be heard on the Delta Curtailment Status phone line at (916) 323-4643.
For more information about drought in the Delta watershed, please visit the Delta Drought webpage. For more information about curtailment compliance and responses to the Initial Orders Imposing Water Right Curtailment and Reporting Requirements in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Watershed, please visit the Curtailment Compliance and Responses webpage. The Curtailment Compliance and Responses tracker is updated regularly and can be filtered to see the latest changes. If you have any questions, you may send an email to Bay-Delta@waterboards.ca.gov or call the Delta Drought phone line at (916) 319-0960.
