State board staff say Term 91 curtailments began June 20 as Delta balancing drew on stored project water

Summary

State Water Board staff reported June curtailments under “term 91” across the Bay-Delta watershed, said the rule covers roughly 3,000,000 acre‑feet of post‑1965 rights, and that typical summer curtailed demand is about 100,000 acre‑feet. Staff also gave a short hydrologic update and reported salmon observations in the Shasta and Scott rivers.

State Water Resources Control Board staff told the board on July 16 that curtailments tied to water‑rights “term 91” went into effect June 20 after the Delta entered a balanced condition and operators began using stored project water to meet Bay‑Delta requirements.

The board heard that term 91 appears in permits and licenses issued after 1965 in the Bay‑Delta watershed and, when invoked, requires permittees to stop diverting when water is not available at their priority. “The face value of term 91 rights in the Delta Watershed total about 3,000,000 acre feet,” a staff presenter said. Staff added that the total demand curtailed in a typical summer curtailment period is about 100,000 acre‑feet.

Why it matters: Term 91 is the State Water Board’s routinely used tool to protect stored project water when Delta conditions are…

State board staff say Term 91 curtailments began June 20 as Delta balancing drew on stored project water

Summary

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