DWR Submits Petition to Extend Water Rights Permit

The Department of Water Resources yesterday filed a petition with the State Water Resources Control Board to extend the timeframe to maximize its existing water rights.

This is an important component of meeting the State's climate change preparedness goals and the potential to develop additional storage of water and would help support virtually every major water initiative underway. These include California's Water Supply Strategy: Adapting to a Hotter, Drier Future, the Department's Climate Adaptation Plan, the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes Program, the state's water quality control plan, and all efforts for water reliability in and through the Delta.

The State Water Project has several water right permits granted by the State Water Board. These water rights provide permission to use a certain amount of water for beneficial purposes and the Department seeks to extend the timeframe for maximizing that amount of water.

Each water right granted by the State Water Board contains a timeframe to put the full amount of water to beneficial use, and California law provides mechanisms to extend these timeframes either before or after the permit timeframes conclude.

It is important to note that water right permits, and the Department's ability to divert water, do not expire when water right timeframes end. In fact, water right permits never expire.