Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Watershed Drought & Curtailment Information
The State Water Board is closely monitoring hydrologic forecasts and real-time conditions and is evaluating how projected precipitation events may affect curtailments in the Delta watershed. Frequently visit this webpage and subscribe to our email list to stay informed of updates to curtailments.
The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) watershed is a crucial source of water for much of California for people and the environment. The Delta watershed comprises approximately 20 percent of California’s land mass and constitutes the state’s largest source of surface water supplying a portion of the water supply to two-thirds of Californians and millions of acres of farmland. The Delta is also home to numerous fish, wildlife, and plant species of very high ecological, economic, and cultural importance.
The Delta watershed and all of California is experiencing a second consecutive year of dry conditions, which has resulted in drought or near-drought conditions throughout the state. The combination of unusually low precipitation, warm temperatures, and dry soils have resulted in unprecedented low runoff from the Sierra-Cascade snowpack, resulting in significant reductions in water supplies and extreme low reservoir storage levels. In recognition of these dry conditions, on May 10, 2021, Governor Newsom declared a drought emergency for 41 counties, including those within the Delta watershed, outlining various actions that the State Water Board and other agencies should take or consider, including curtailments to prohibit diversions when water is not available at a water right holder’s or claimant’s priority of right.
Announcements
- May 12, 2022 – Staff Workshop on Updated Water Unavailability Methodology and Draft Emergency Regulation for the Delta Watershed (Notice | Presentation Slides | Video)
- May 9, 2022 - Order WR 2022-0147-EXEC Denying Reconsideration of the August 2021 Emergency Regulation and Curtailment Orders for the Delta Watershed
- April 19, 2022 - State Water Board staff proposes readoption of emergency drought regulation in Bay-Delta
- April 19, 2022 - Updated Water Unavailability Methodology Resources and Draft Emergency Regulation for the Delta Watershed Available for Public Comment and Workshop Scheduled for May 12
Delta Watershed Water Unavailability
On August 20, 2021, the State Water Board issued initial orders imposing curtailment and reporting requirements to all water right holders and claimants in the Delta watershed.
- Order Issued to Small Diverters (annual use/right under 5,000 acre feet)
- Order Issued to Larger Diverters (annual use/right of 5,000 acre feet or greater)
For information on compliance and responses to curtailment and reporting orders, visit our Curtailment Compliance and Responses page.
Responses to the forms discussed in this section must be submitted through the State Water Board’s Survey Portal. The login and password needed to access the Survey Portal are provided on the initial order, dated August 20, 2021, that all water right holders and claimants received. The login is the water right ID and the password is generally the same as the reporting identifier used to access the Electronic Water Right Information Management System (eWRIMS) Report Management System (RMS) for submission of annual reports of water diversion and use.
Compliance Certification Form
All water right holders and claimants are required to submit this form for each applicable right or claim.
Human Health and Safety Certification Form
This form is for water right holders and claimants requesting an exception to curtailment for minimum human health and safety needs.
Non-Consumptive Use Certification Form
This form is for water right holders and claimants requesting an exception to curtailment in order to continue diversions for non-consumptive uses.
Enhanced Reporting Forms
Larger diverters (those with a face value or reported diversions of 5,000 acre-feet or more in 2018 or 2019) are required to report prior diversions and projected demand every month via the Enhanced Reporting of Prior Diversions Form and the Enhanced Reporting of Projected Demand Form.
The tables below contain the month for which projected demands and prior diversions should be reported, along with the respective due date for each form
Enhanced Reporting of Projected Demand Forms
Projected Demand | Due Date |
February 2022 | January 21, 2022 |
March 2022 | February 18, 2022 |
April 2022 | March 18, 2022 |
May 2022 | April 15, 2022 |
June 2022 | May 20, 2022 |
July 2022 | June 17, 2022 |
August 2022 | July 15, 2022 |
Enhanced Reporting of Prior Diversions Forms
Prior Diversions | Due Date |
October 2021 | January 10, 2022 |
November 2021 | January 24, 2022 |
December 2021 | February 7, 2022 |
January 2022 | March 7, 2022 |
February 2022 | April 7, 2022 |
March 2022 | May 7, 2022 |
April 2022 | June 7, 2022 |
May 2022 | July 7, 2022 |
The Enhanced Reporting Forms, and their respective due dates (listed above), will be announced via email update.
Human Health and Safety Reporting Form
This form is for water right holders and claimants who continue to divert above 55 gallons per capita per day (GPCD) or an amount not quantifiable in GPCD for minimum human health and safety needs under an approved Petition to Increase Human Health and Safety Diversions. Monthly reporting using this form is required for all diversions made under an approved petition.
2022
- April 29, 2022 – Draft Emergency Regulation Sections Affecting Multiple Watersheds (Including the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Watershed)
- Draft Emergency Regulation Sections Affecting Multiple Watersheds and Change Sheet
- Please refer to the Russian River Drought webpage for more information regarding emergency regulations sections affecting multiple watersheds. These sections of the emergency regulation are scheduled to be considered at the State Water Resources Control Board’s May 10th meeting, please refer to the agenda for more information regarding the submittal of written comments.
- April 19, 2022 – Notice of Availability of Draft Emergency Curtailment and Reporting Regulation
- Draft Emergency Regulation and Change Sheet (Regulation Sections Specific to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Watershed)
2021
- August 19, 2021 – Emergency Regulation as Approved by Office of Administrative Law
- August 9, 2021 – Emergency Regulation Submitted to Office of Administrative Law
- Transmittal Memo
- Form 400 and Adopted Regulation Text
- Resolution 2021-0028
- Notice of Proposed Emergency Rulemaking and Draft Regulation Text
- Transmittal Email for Notice of Proposed Emergency Rulemaking
- Redline Version of Adopted Regulation Text
- Finding of Emergency, Informative Digest, and Revised Fiscal Impact Statement
- July 23, 2021 Water Unavailability Methodology Report and Appendices
- Form 399 and Revised Fiscal Impact Statement
- August 3, 2021 - Board Meeting: Adoption of Emergency Regulation (Video)
- July 30, 2021 - Notice of Proposed Emergency Rulemaking
- July 23, 2021 - Notice of Availability of Draft Emergency Regulation for Public Review and Comment
- May 12, 2022 – Staff Workshop on Updated Water Unavailability Methodology and Draft Emergency Regulation for the Delta Watershed (Notice | Presentation Slides | Video)
- December 15, 2021 – Staff Workshop on Possible Alternative Approaches to Address Water Supply Shortages in the Delta Watershed (Notice | Presentation Slides | Video )
- December 10, 2021 – Technical Document: Possible Curtailment Method Based on a Water Right Term 91 Type Approach
- October 20, 2021 – Staff Workshop on Potential Changes to the Water Unavailability Methodology (Notice | Presentation Slides | Video)
- August 31, 2021 - Curtailment Compliance and Response Assistance Webinar (Notice | Morning Session Video | Afternoon Session Video)
- August 20, 2021 – Low water levels trigger curtailments for Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
- August 3, 2021 - State Water Board approves emergency curtailment measures for the Delta watershed
- August 3, 2021 – Board Meeting: Consideration of Proposed Resolution to Adopt Emergency Regulation (Agenda | Video)
- July 27, 2021 – Staff Workshop on Proposed Emergency Regulation (Notice | Presentation Slides)
- July 23, 2021 - Notice of Water Unavailability for Senior Water Right Claims in the Delta Watershed
- June 15, 2021 - Drought conditions prompt restrictions for some Delta water right holders
- June 15, 2021 - Notice of Water Unavailability for Post-1914 Appropriative Water Right Holders and Warning of Impending Water Unavailability for Pre-1914 Appropriative and Riparian Claimants in the Delta Watershed
- June 1, 2021 – Board Meeting Informational Item: Update on Water Unavailability Methodology (Video)
- May 21, 2021 – Staff Workshop on Water Unavailability Methodology (Notice | Video)
- May 10, 2021 - Governor Newsom’s Emergency Drought Proclamation
Delta Watershed Curtailment Status List
This serves as a water right curtailment order.
The list below shows the curtailment status of each water right and claim in the Delta watershed (including the Sacramento and San Joaquin River watersheds). This curtailment order is authorized by the emergency regulation adopted by the State Water Board on August 3, 2021, and approved by the Office of Administrative Law on August 19, 2021. (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 23, §§ 876-879.2.)
The determination of water unavailability used to inform curtailments is based on the Water Unavailability Methodology for the Delta Watershed. Documents describing the approach to assess water unavailability and the data used to support the determination are posted on the Water Unavailability Methodology webpage.
Curtailment status should not be construed as a validation of water right claims or an authorization to divert. Existing constraints on water right permits and licenses, such as seasonal diversion restrictions and bypass flow requirements, remain in effect. In addition, all water right holders and claimants may only divert under valid water rights and are not authorized to divert if it would result in injury to other water users.
Curtailment List
A status in red means the identified water right or claim of right is curtailed during the specified time period and water is not authorized for diversion unless an exception applies (please refer to the Emergency Regulation text to see if you qualify for an exception). A status in green means the identified water right or claim of right is not curtailed during the specified time period. Diverters who claim both riparian and pre-1914 appropriative water right claims under the same Statement of Diversion and Use are treated solely as riparian claimants. You can search this list by water right identification number (water right ID), owner name, water right type, and location by subwatershed and the Legal Delta boundary. This list will be updated weekly, and more frequently if there are changes in precipitation and runoff.
2022 - Previous Updates to Curtailment Status List
- June 21, 2022 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- June 14, 2022 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- June 7, 2022 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- June 1, 2022 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- May 24, 2022 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- May 17, 2022 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- May 10, 2022 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- May 3, 2022 - Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- April 26, 2022 - Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- April 19, 2022 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- April 11, 2022 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- April 5, 2022 - Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- March 29, 2022 - Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- March 22, 2022 - Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- March 15, 2022 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- March 8, 2022 - Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- March 1, 2022 - Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- February 22, 2022 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- February 15, 2022 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- February 8, 2022 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- February 1, 2022 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- January 25, 2022 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- January 18, 2022 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- January 10, 2022 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- January 3, 2022 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
2021 - Previous Updates to Curtailment Status List
- December 31, 2021 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- December 24, 2021 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- December 17, 2021 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- December 10, 2021 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- December 7, 2021 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List (Last Updated 12/8/2021)
- November 30, 2021 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- November 23, 2021 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- November 18, 2021 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- November 12, 2021 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- November 5, 2021 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- November 3, 2021 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- October 26, 2021 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- October 19, 2021 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- October 13, 2021 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- October 6, 2021 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- October 1, 2021 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- September 24, 2021 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- September 17, 2021 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- September 10, 2021 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- September 3, 2021 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- August 27, 2021 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
- August 20, 2021 – Weekly Update and Curtailment Status List
Click here for a tutorial on how to check your curtailment status using the interactive list below.
Delta Drought Response Resources
How to Conserve
Delta watershed residents can help! Surface and groundwater users can help lessen drought impacts, and even small efforts can result in huge benefits for flows and fish.
Here are just a few ways to help:
- Reduce diversions from surface and groundwater sources
- Conserve water, limit non-food irrigation, and reuse graywater (i.e., water from sinks, showers, baths, washing machines, or dishwashers)
- Coordinate diversion timing with neighbors to reduce cumulative effects
- Prepare for ongoing drought by exploring water storage options (e.g., rain collection, roofwater harvesting, or tank storage)

Photo credit: CA Dept of Water Resources.
How to Report an Unauthorized Diversion or Water Waste

Visit the CalEPA Complaint System to report unauthorized diversions, such as violations of water right permits or diversions impacting fisheries.

Visit savewater.ca.gov to report water waste, such as leaks and overwatering, to your local water agency.
Stay informed
Email Subscription List
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Check your email account for a confirmation email to complete your subscription.
Contact Us
- Email: Bay-Delta@waterboards.ca.gov
- Phone: (916) 319-0960