SB 361: Water resources: stream gages.

Existing law, the Open and Transparent Water Data Act, requires the Department of Water Resources, the State Water Resources Control Board, and the Department of Fish and Wildlife to coordinate and integrate existing water and ecological data from local, state, and federal agencies. Existing law requires the Department of Water Resources and the board, upon an appropriation of funds by the Legislature, to develop a plan to deploy a network of stream gages that includes a determination of funding needs and opportunities for modernizing and reactivating existing gages and deploying new gages, as specified. Existing law requires the department and the board, in consultation with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Department of Conservation, the Central Valley Flood Protection Board, interested stakeholders, and, to the extent they wish to consult, local agencies, to develop the plan to address significant gaps in information necessary for water management and the conservation of freshwater species.

This bill would require the Department of Water Resources and the board, upon appropriation of funds by the Legislature, to reactivate, upgrade, and install new stream gages, as provided. The bill would require the department and board to use the recommendations and data provided in the California Stream Gaging Prioritization Plan 2022 to complete specified actions by 2030. The bill would require the department to report to the Legislature, on or before January 1, 2026, and every 2 years thereafter, on progress made in completing those specified actions. The bill would require the data from all stream gages operating with any public money to be published as provisional data within 10 days of collection and made publicly available on the states open water data platforms. The bill would require the department and board to develop and adopt a set of standards and processes for assessing, tracking, and reporting the accuracy of stream gages, evapotranspiration data, water meters, and other critical data inputs for water management, as provided. The bill would require the department and the board to consult with interested stakeholders to develop a plan to identify the gaps in the network of automated weather stations and eddy covariance towers to ensure accurate and comprehensive data collection.