Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Forecasting topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee approves bill requiring DWR to adopt auditor recommendations and update climate-era forecasting
Summary
The committee advanced SB 224, authored by Sen. Melissa Hurtado, which would require the Department of Water Resources to implement recommendations from a 2023 state audit, update water‑supply forecasting to reflect climate change and provide annual progress reports to the Legislature.
Sen. Melissa Hurtado told the committee SB 224 would require the Department of Water Resources to adopt outstanding recommendations from a 2023 audit by the California State Auditor and to update water‑supply forecasting methods to reflect the effects of climate change.
The bill would also require the department to provide annual progress reports to the Legislature and to adopt formal policies documenting operational plans for the state's water supply, Hurtado said. She told the committee the measure builds on prior work, including SB 231 (2023).
Former Delano council member Veronica Cruz Vasquez and Rachel Glauser, executive director of the Delta View Water Association, testified in support. Cruz Vasquez described the impacts of modeling errors in water year 2021, saying local governments faced acute costs when inaccurate forecasts led to the release of “hundreds of thousands of acre‑feet” of water and that one city paid about $1.1 million in emergency purchases to replace water that had previously cost about $114,000.
Glauser said growers and disadvantaged communities in Tulare and Kings counties need more accurate, transparent forecasting to plan under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act and to avoid unnecessary water loss.
Assemblymember Kolozov moved the bill; Assemblymember Hart seconded. The committee voted to pass SB 224 as amended to appropriations; the chair said the bill ‘‘is out’’ and would remain open for additional votes.
Why it matters: Committee discussion focused on the role of accurate, timely forecasts in agricultural planning and community water security, particularly for disadvantaged Central Valley communities that already face water quality and supply challenges. Supporters said the measure is intended to reduce avoidable releases and to increase transparency.
Details noted in testimony: the bill references a 2023 audit by the California State Auditor; witnesses cited the 2021 modeling error that led to large reservoir releases, described as ‘‘hundreds of thousands of acre‑feet.’’ The author said she had not heard directly from DWR about the bill but that the audit report contains DWR’s formal responses.
SB 224 will return to appropriations for fiscal review and final legislative scheduling.
