How California Can Improve Water Right Curtailment to Better Manage Water Scarcity

Droughts are becoming more frequent and intense in California, and many watersheds experience seasonal water scarcity nearly every year. To protect water rights, human health and safety, and the environment from serious harm, California’s State Water Resources Control Board needs to be able to routinely curtail unlawful water uses. However, the agency has struggled to carry out this basic function, running into resource constraints and technical, legal, and political barriers. In our April report, Managing Water Scarcity: A Framework for Fair and Effective Water Right Curtailment in California, CLEE described the legal context for and history of curtailments in California and recommended concrete actions the State Water Board and Legislature can take to build a framework for fair and effective curtailment in California. The Legislature is considering bills that partially address some of our recommendations, but our research suggests more comprehensive action is needed, and soon.

Join two of the report’s authors for a free lunchtime policy briefing and Q&A on this important topic.

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For questions, please contact maia.baltzley@berkeley.edu.