MCWRA responds to Water Right Curtailment Advanced Letters, Conservation Framework, and Legislative Bills
Water Right Curtailment Advanced Letters:
In a letter to the State Water Resources Control Board executive director Tom Howard, MCWRA expressed concerns over an intention to take the unprecedented actions of curtailing vested pre-1914 appropriative rights and requiring reductions of riparian water rights. “We are fully aware that the severity of the drought requires appropriate regulatory action and we support the SWRCB’s adherence to the water right priority system in curtailing post-1914 water rights for the protection of senior water rights, including previously stored water. However, no regulatory action should be imposed with respect to the long-standing legal rights of pre-1914 senior diverters” said John Kingsbury, Executive Director, MCWRA.
Read more: 041315 – SWRCB Letter – Tom Howard – Curtailments
Proposed Regulatory Framework for Mandatory Conservation Measures
Under the current proposal, the framework will undermine, not foster, the state-wide unity of purpose necessary to reach the 25% conservation mandate. …Unfortunately, in our view the framework is seriously flawed and not well-suited to achieve success.
Read more: 041315 – SWRCB Letter – Jessica Bean – Water Conservation Framework
Proposed Legislation
The MCWRA Board of Directors took recent positions on the following bills :
AB647 – Eggman – Support if amended