NEWMAN — Farmers and water managers across the Westside could soon face new rules for reporting how much water they use, as the State Water Resources Control Board prepares to vote this week on a proposal to overhaul its water measurement regulations.
The Board will meet Tuesday and Wednesday in Sacramento to consider revisions aimed at improving the accuracy and usability of water diversion data. The changes would affect how growers and irrigation districts report water taken from rivers, canals, and underground aquifers—an issue especially relevant in agricultural communities like Newman and Gustine, where water access is tightly linked to crop yields and economic stability.
The proposed updates would simplify existing regulations, standardize data formats, and align reporting requirements with a new online platform called CalWATRS, set to launch later this summer. The first deadline under the new system is expected in February 2026.
These changes are designed to make water reporting clearer and more consistent and reflect the urgency of collecting reliable data to manage California’s limited water supplies, according to the staff report.
The Board has struggled for years to obtain high-quality diversion data, despite outreach efforts that included workshops and one-on-one meetings with water users. Officials say the lack of usable data hampers their ability to forecast water demand, protect senior water rights holders, and plan for drought conditions.
Under the revised rules, diverters would be required to report groundwater extractions based on the water year rather than the calendar year and provide a valid email address for official communications. While the fiscal impact is expected to be absorbed within existing resources, the broader implications could ripple through rural areas where compliance has historically been a challenge.
Local irrigation districts and growers are encouraged to review the proposed regulations and prepare for the transition to CalWATRS. The full agenda and rulemaking documents are available at waterboards.ca.gov.
The Board’s vote is scheduled for Tuesday, August 5.