With the hearing on the water rights petition for the Delta Conveyance Project at the State Water Board set to begin on February 18, multiple parties have filed a motion with the State Water Board’s Administrative Hearings Office requesting cancellation of DWR’s water rights change petition for the Delta Conveyance Project due to incomplete information and procedural concerns.
DWR has filed a petition to change the point of diversion for the Delta Conveyance Project to add new points of diversion to the water rights associated with the State Water Project. This process is required by the State Water Resources Control Board to ensure compliance with water rights regulations and to allow for public participation and transparency.
The motion argues that DWR’s failure to provide ordered supplemental information justifies the cancellation of the change petition. Alternatively, they request that the hearing dates be vacated until DWR resolves its extension petition or provides necessary information. The motion is supported by multiple entities, including Delta water agencies and reclamation districts, and Sacramento, Solano, San Joaquin and Contra Costa counties.
The motion states, “DWR’s failure and/or refusal to provide the supplemental information ordered by the AHO further warrants cancellation of its change petition. For the foregoing reasons and others, the Joint Protestants respectfully request that the AHO grant this Joint Motion and cancel the DCP change petition. In the alternative, Joint Protestants respectfully request that the AHO vacate the current hearing dates and hold the change petition proceeding in abeyance until the time extension petition is either resolved or consolidated with the change petition proceeding, and DWR produces all necessary and relevant supplemental information, as ordered by the AHO.”
2025-01-31 Joint Motion for CancellationMore coverage of the change in point of diversion hearing on Maven’s Notebook …
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DELTA CONVEYANCE PROJECT: State Water Board issues procedural ruling on alleged conflict of interest and conditional waiver
From the State Water Board: This procedural ruling arises out of an alleged conflict of interest of the law firm Somach Simmons & Dunn (SSD), which firm represents several protesting parties in this proceeding, raised by the Department of Water Resources (DWR). DWR asserts that this conflict prejudices its interests but has agreed to waive its rights to pursue any remedies against SSD in this proceeding and any subsequent appeal or litigation resulting from this proceeding, if the Administrative Hearings […]
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