On March 14, 2025, the Court of Appeal for California’s Fifth Appellate District issued its decision in Sandton Agriculture Investments III v. 4-S Ranch Partners, 2025 S.O.S. 659. That case provided guidance on ownership of captured water and percolating groundwater.
In 2024, after years of deliberation, California water officials adopted landmark rules that will guide future water use and conservation in the state. The “Making Conservation a California Way of Life” framework went into effect at the beginning of 2025 and requires compliance by 2027. The framework is intended to help preserve water supplies as climate change drives hotter, drier conditions and droughts become more frequent and longer lasting, and is expected to help save 500,000 acre-feet of water annually by 2040. That is enough to supply more than 1.4 million households ...
The California State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) has begun its process to develop a new statewide Urban Stormwater Infiltration Policy. The goal of the proposed new policy is to establish statewide standards for stormwater infiltration to provide a consistent regulatory framework to “encourage infiltration of urban stormwater and increase local water supply resiliency, provide greater protection of stormwater quality, and develop projects with multiple benefits for communities.” …
On January 24, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14181 (EO 14181), entitled “Emergency Measures to Provide Water Resources in California and Improve Disaster Response in Certain Areas.” While alluding to assisting Americans in disaster areas generally, EO 14181 largely focuses on significantly changing water management policies in California.
Key Provisions of EO 14181 and the Impact on Water
The first three sections of the executive order are the ones primarily focused on California water.
- Section 1, entitled “Policy,” notes that “it is the policy of the ...
On January 10, 2025, Governor Newsom announced his 2025-2026 budget proposal of $322.3 billion. Unlike in 2023 and 2024, the proposal is for a balanced budget with a surplus of $363 million, although it does include $7 billion in funds from the state’s rainy day fund. The budget site includes a full combined summary, summaries of individual sections and a full detailed budget.
The budget includes reductions in funding for nearly all government agencies. The Natural Resources Agency has the biggest cut in net dollars and the second biggest cut percentage wise, with a 55.4% and ...
On October 23, 2024, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $276 million in available funding for California water infrastructure projects. When combined with the $269 million it announced on October 8, 2024, that raises the total to $545 million announced this month.
The funding comes through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provides for $50 billion in investments in water infrastructure throughout the country. The October 23 announcement is part of a total of $3.6 billion in available funding, which is designated to particular states ...
During California’s eighth annual Water Professionals Appreciation Week, we recognize the essential role of water professionals and local public water agencies in providing water and wastewater services. …
The 2024 legislative session ended on August 31, 2024, meaning the legislature passed all bills for this year. All of the bills are currently with Governor Newsom. He has until September 30 to sign or veto any bills. Any bills not signed by September 30 will be vetoed through a ‘pocket veto.’
This session was a busy one for bills affecting the water sector with at least nine bills passed impacting water and sewer systems in California. The bills cover a wide range of topics, including fines for violating State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) orders, Proposition 26 and 218 requirements for water-related fees, Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) requirements, and the California Water Plan. …
On September 6, 2024, EPA announced $7.5 billion in available loan funding through the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA). From that total, $6.5 billion is available through WIFIA loans and $1 billion is available through the State Water Infrastructure Financing Authority (SWIFIA). …
On August 6, 2024, the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) approved the direct potable reuse (DPR) regulations that were previously adopted by the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) on December 19, 2023. The approved regulations – which go into effect on October 1, 2024 – will allow public water systems and other agencies in California to obtain permits to develop DPR projects.
DPR is when purified recycled water is placed directly into a public water system or into a “raw” (untreated) water supply immediately upstream of a drinking water treatment plant ...
California Water Views provides timely and insightful updates on the water sector in the state. We relay information on how water legislation and policy from the nation’s capital, Sacramento, and around the U.S. affect California’s water utilities, agencies, practitioners, and consumers. We also write about important events, conferences, legal cases, and other key happenings involving all things water in and around California.
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