SB 231: Department of Water Resources: water supply forecasting.

Existing law requires the Department of Water Resources to gather and correlate information and data pertinent to an annual forecast of seasonal water crop. Existing law also requires the department to update every 5 years the plan for the orderly and coordinated control, protection, conservation, development, and use of the water resources of the state, which is known as The California Water Plan.

This bill would require the department, on or before December 31, 2025, to establish a formal process for annually evaluating and improving the accuracy of its water supply forecasts, adopt a new water supply forecasting model that better addresses the effects of climate change, and implement a formal policy and procedures for documenting its operational plans for the states water supply and its rationale for its operating procedures, and develop a comprehensive, long-term plan for mitigating and responding to the effects of drought. procedures. The bill would require the department department, by December 1, 2024, to prepare, and submit to the Legislature, quarterly reports a report on its progress toward meeting these requirements. The bill would require the department to review and update the plan for mitigating and responding to the effects of drought on or before December 31, 2026, and annually thereafter.

The bill would require the department, commencing in 2026 and annually thereafter, to present specified information at an open and public meeting, including the departments operational decisions and their rationale for the states water supply during the preceding water year. The bill would require the department to include the information presented at the meeting in a report, make the report publicly available on the departments internet website, and submit the report to the Legislature.