California Water Commission

Using its public forum, the California Water Commission explores water management issues from multiple perspectives and formulates recommendations to advise the Department of Water Resources, and, as appropriate, the California Natural Resources Agency, the Governor and Legislature on ways to improve water planning and management in response to California’s changing hydrology.
 
The California Water Commission consists of nine members appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the State Senate. Seven members are chosen for their expertise related to the control, storage, and beneficial use of water and two are chosen for their knowledge of the environment. The Commission supports policies that result in sustainable water management and a healthy environment statewide.

 

  • Public forum: The Commission provides a public forum for the discussion of statewide water issues, promotes public discourse on the future of water management in California, and provides transparent access to information.
  • WSIP: The Commission administers funding in the Water Storage Investment Program. The Commission made maximum conditional eligibility determinations for seven projects that would boost California’s water storage capacity by 2.77 million acre-feet.
  • White papers: The Commission formulates policy papers on actions assigned to them in the Governor’s Water Resilience Portfolio.
    •  Resilient water conveyance projects that meet the needs of a changing climate.
    • Well-managed groundwater trading programs with appropriate safeguards for vulnerable water users.
    • Strategies to protect communities and fish and wildlife in the event of drought lasting at least six years.
  • Advise DWR: The Commission advises the Director of the Department of Water Resources (DWR) to ensure that decisions on key programs and activities are sound and sustainable by providing advice and recommendations.
  • Rules and regulations: The Commission approves DWR rules and regulations, ensuring they are fair, clear, useful, and necessary.
  • State Water Project: The Commission conducts an annual review of the construction and operation of the State Water Project. The Commission submits the annual review to the California State Legislature and the Director of DWR.
  • Eminent Domain: The Commission ensures eminent domain proceedings initiated by DWR meet legal requirements with a Resolution of Necessity process that gives each affected person an opportunity to be heard.

Strategic Plan

The California Water Commission’s latest draft 2025 Strategic Plan is available for review. The Plan contains goals and objectives that will provide direction for the Commission’s work for the next five-year period, beginning in 2025. The Commission must adopt the Plan before it can take effect. Staff will present the plan to the Commission at the November 20, 2024 Commission meeting. Comments are welcome prior to and at the meeting and can be directed to cwc@water.ca.gov.

Find the draft 2025 Strategic Plan here.

Office Hours

California Water Commission staff is offering virtual office hours to answer any questions you might have about the Commission's work. To access links to the virtual meetings, visit the Office Hours page.

Office Hours

Comments or Questions?

Comments and questions, including comments on Commission meeting agenda items, can be submitted via email to cwc@water.ca.gov or on our Contact page. Comments received by the Commission related to meeting agenda items will not be edited and will be posted to the Commission's webpage in their entirety.

The WSIP Story

Take a visual tour through the Water Storage Investment Program

WSIP

California Native American Tribal Leadership Comment Policy

For information about the process for elected Tribal leaders and designated representatives to comment on Commission meeting agenda items, please see our California Native American Tribal Leadership Comment Policy.

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To receive updates about future meetings, click on the button below to email Commission staff.

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Upcoming Meetings

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Water Storage Investment Program Update

The WSIP includes seven projects that would boost California’s water storage capacity by 2.77 million acre-feet. The projects range from expanding existing reservoirs to increasing groundwater storage to building 21st century surface storage facilities. Each project’s timeline to construction and operation may be different, but they all must submit the Proposition 1 statutory requirements, which include final permits, completed environmental documents, contracts for the administration of public benefits, and contracts for non-program funding – before returning to the Commission for a final award hearing.

Harvest Water Program Awarded Prop 1 Funds

In June 2023, the Commission awarded the Harvest Water Program $277.5 million in Proposition 1 funding. The conjunctive-use project will supply up to 50,000 acre-feet of treated wastewater for irrigation in south Sacramento County. Public benefits of the project include increased streamflow volume in the Cosumnes River, extended migration window for fall-run Chinook salmon, reduced salinity load to the Sacramento River and Delta waterways, improved groundwater conditions for 5,000 acres of wetland and riparian forest, and enlarged habitat for sandhill crane and many other threatened and endangered species.

WSIP Early Funding

WSIP regulations allow for a portion of the Commission’s maximum conditional eligibility determination (MCED) to be awarded before the final funding hearing to assist with permits and environmental documents. Early funding cannot exceed 5% of a project’s MCED. In all, the Commission has awarded six projects early funding totaling $123.4 million. Early funding amounts: Chino Basin Program - $10,763,270. Harvest Water Program - $14,375,625. Los Vaqueros Reservoir Expansion Project - $23,877,917. Pacheco Reservoir Expansion Project - $24,200,000. Sites Project - $43,769,818. Willow Springs Water Bank - $6,413,744.

WSIP News Releases

Recent news releases about the Water Storage Investment Program can be found on the Press Releases page, linked in the title above

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