Programs and Topics
Proposition 1 of 2014 dedicated $2.7 billion for investments in water storage projects. The California Water Commission is administering the Water Storage Investment Program (WSIP) to fund the public benefits associated with these projects.
Information and documents related to the WSIP can be found on the WSIP page. Information about specific projects can be accessed by selecting one of the project page links on the right side of the page.
Public Workshops Schedule and Information
The Commission, in support of Water Resilience Portfolio Action 3.6, held public workshops to explore ways that the State can support in-basin, locally-led groundwater trading programs that ensure protections for vulnerable users, such as communities, small- and medium-size farms, and the environment. At the workshops, the Commission gathered information and tested assumptions regarding opportunities and concerns around groundwater trading; potential impacts to ecosystems, farms, and communities; and an appropriate state role in groundwater trading. The Commission will use the information gathered at these workshops to help formulate a policy paper with a set of conclusions around how the state can support well-managed groundwater trading programs with appropriate safeguards for vulnerable water users.
Workshop Recordings and Materials:
Thursday, October 28, 2021, 2:30 - 5:00 p.m.
Friday, October 29, 2021, 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Workbook (English)/Libro de Trabajo (Español)
- Presentation Slides
- Workshop Agenda (English)/Agenda del Taller (Español)
- Workshop Flyer (English)/Volante para Talleres (Español)
The Commission is working closely with a stakeholder advisory group to inform its work on groundwater trading and would like to thank the following organizations:
Background Information
In March 2021, the Secretaries for Natural Resources, Environmental Protection, and Food and Agriculture, requested that the Commission initiate the Action 3.6 of California’s Water Resilience Portfolio. In response, the Commission is leading a thorough and inclusive public dialog to frame state considerations around how Groundwater Sustainability Agencies might shape well-managed groundwater trading programs that include appropriate safeguards for communities, farms, and the environment. The Commission’s work will focus on holding public conversations via public workshops and at regularly scheduled Commission meetings to solicit input about groundwater trading programs that ensure protections for vulnerable users and stakeholders, looking at stakeholder engagement, governance, and oversight. The Commission will develop a white paper that draws on public discussions, and will include a set of conclusions and suggested next steps.
Water Resilience Portfolio Action 3.6 calls upon State agencies to create flexibility for groundwater sustainability agencies to trade water within basins by enabling and incentivizing transactional approaches, including groundwater markets, with rules that safeguard natural resources, small- and medium-size farms, and water supply and quality for disadvantaged communities.
Reference Documents
- Letter from the Secretaries for Natural Resources, Environmental Protection, and Food and Agriculture
- Approved Workplan with Revised Dates
- Supporting Well-Managed Groundwater Trading Graphic
2021 Agenda Items
- Water Trading: Workplan (Action Item) - May 2021, Item 11
- Water Trading: Panel Discussion on Markets and Groundwater Trading - June 2021, Item 13
- Groundwater Trading: Presentation on Groundwater Rights Law - July 2021, Item 10
- Groundwater Accounting and Budgeting Platform - August 2021, Item 10
- Groundwater Trading: Panel Discussion on Exploring Groundwater Trading - August 2021, Item 12
- Groundwater Trading: Small Group Discussion Synthesis - September 2021, Item 12
- Groundwater Trading: Panel Discussion on the Future of Groundwater Trading - September 2021, Item 13
- Groundwater Trading: Overview of Out-of-State Discussions and Emerging Themes - October 2021, Item 11
- Groundwater Trading: Workshop Results - November 2021, Item 9
California's Water Resilience Portfolio directed the Commission to assess a state role in financing conveyance projects that could help meet needs in a changing climate. The Commission used the information gathered at four regional workshops to produce a white paper for state policymakers that describes the essential criteria for resilient water conveyance projects that meet the needs of a changing climate, the potential public benefits of such projects, and the implications of various financing options.
The final white paper was presented and approved at the June 16, 2021 Commission meeting:
Public Workshop Recordings and Documents
Southeastern California (Colorado River, South Lahontan) – Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Southern California – Thursday, December 10, 2020
Northern California – Tuesday, January 12, 2021
Central California – Tuesday, January 26, 2021
Workshop Materials:
- Workbook
- Public Participation Guide
- Workshop Agenda
- Workshop Flyer (English)/Volante para Talleres (Español)
The Commission thanks supporters for assisting with information outreach to connect interested parties to the regional workshops.
Below are links to meetings at which the Commission heard agenda items related to financing conveyance projects.
2020 Agenda Items
- Assessing a State Role in Financing Conveyance Projects - October 2020, Item 9
- Conveyance Projects Panel Discussion - November 2020, Item 8
- Public Benefits of Conveyance Projects Panel Discussion - December 2020, Item 9
2021 Agenda Items
- Assessing a State Role in Financing Conveyance Projects - January 2021, Item 9
- Conveyance Workshop Report and Financing Mechanisms and Challenges Panel - February 2021, Item 9
- Assessing a State Role in Financing Conveyance: Panel Discussion on State Considerations and Cross-Cutting Issues - April 2021, Item 9
- Assessing a State Role in Financing Conveyance: Preliminary Findings and Conclusions - May 2021, Item 9
- Assessing a State Role in Financing Conveyance: Presentation of White Paper (Action Item) - June 2021, Item 8
California Water Code section 165 directs the Commission to conduct an annual review of the construction and operation of the State Water Project and report its findings and recommendations to the Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the Legislature. To accomplish this, the Commission receives regular briefings from DWR on many aspects of the State Water Project. Below are links to the Commission's recent annual reviews as well as Commission meetings featuring State Water Project briefings.
State Water Project Annual Reviews
2018 Agenda Items- Oroville Construction Update - October 2018, Item 8
- Briefing on State Water Project (SWP) Asset Management Program - November 2018, Item 8
- Climate Change Effects on the State Water Project - December 2018, Item 10
2019 Agenda Items
- State Water Project Dam Safety Update - January 2019, Item 9
- Feather River Fish Hatchery - April 2019, Item 10
- Vulnerability Assessment - May 2019, Item 10
- Water/Energy Nexus: How Water Agencies Account for Greenhouse Gas Emissions - June 2019, Item 11
- Oroville Recovery Effort - September 2019, Item 11
- State Water Project Construction Update - November 2019, Item 11
- State Water Project Operations Update - December 2019, Item 13
2020 Agenda Items
- State Water Project Greenhouse Gas Reduction Update - January 2020, Item 10
- Hydropower License Planning and Compliance - August 2020, Item 10
- State Water Project Briefing: Delta Restoration - October 2020, Item 11
- State Water Project Briefing: Emissions Reduction and Power Generation - October 2020, Item 12
- State Water Project Briefing: Subsidence and the State Water Project - November 2020, Item 10
- State Water Project Briefing: Construction Update - November 2020, Item 11
- State Water Project Briefing: Incidental Take Permit - December 2020, Item 10
2021 Agenda Items
- State Water Project Briefings: Aging Infrastructure and Climate Change - March 2021, Item 9
- State Water Project Flexible Resources Study - March 2021, Item 10
- State Water Project Briefings: Climate Change and the Delta - May 2021, Item 10
- State Water Project Briefings: Infrastructure Management - July 2021, Item 9
- State Water Project Flexible Resources Study - August 2021, Item 11
- State Water Project Briefings: The State Water Project and the San Joaquin Valley - September 2021, Item 9
- State Water Project: Construction Update - November 2021, Item 10
- State Water Project Flexible Resources Study - November 2021, Item 11
In September 2014, Governor Brown signed a package of legislation known as the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), creating a framework under which local agencies would develop Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs) tailored to their regional needs. SGMA required the Department of Water Resources (DWR) to adopt regulations for revising groundwater basin boundaries and for the development of GSPs and Alternative Plans, including the criteria and methodology to evaluate them. DWR was also required to prioritize groundwater basins and modify the basins, as necessary. As with all DWR regulations, the Commission was tasked with approving the SGMA regulations. SGMA also gave the Commission the opportunity to hear and comment on DWR's proposed basin boundary modifications. Below are links to meetings at which the Commission heard agenda items related to SGMA.
2018 Agenda Items2019 Agenda Items
- Groundwater Basin Boundary Modifications - January 2019, Item 11
- Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) Update - November 2019, Item 12
2020 Agenda Items
2021 Agenda Items
California Water Code section 161 requires the Commission to approve all Department of Water Resources (DWR) regulation. Below is a list of agenda items during which the Commission approved DWR regulations in recent years, with links to the meeting pages where related documents can be found.
2018 Agenda Items
2019 Agenda Items
2021 Agenda Items