CA State Water Resources Control Board

Delta-Mendota Subbasin Exits State Intervention, Returns to DWR; Tule and Tulare Lake Exclusions Set

The CA State Water Resources Control Board announced two SGMA actions on April 7, 2026. First, the Delta-Mendota Subbasin successfully exited state intervention, having consolidated its 23 groundwater agencies under a single unified sustainability plan with a drinking water well mitigation program, and will now return to DWR oversight—this is the fourth subbasin to exit intervention. Second, the board excluded small groundwater pumpers extracting 20 acre-feet or less annually in the Tule and Tulare Lake subbasins from state reporting and fee requirements; these approximately 3,000 pumpers account for less than 2% of groundwater pumped in those basins.

State Water Board Releases Draft Sites Reservoir Water Right Decision for Public Comment

The California State Water Resources Control Board released a draft water right decision for the proposed Sites Reservoir project, a 1.5 million acre-feet off-stream storage facility northwest of Sacramento. The draft permit limits annual diversions to 986,000 acre-feet and includes conditions to protect senior water right holders, water quality, and Sacramento River and Delta fisheries. The 60-day public comment period ends May 22, 2026.

Goleta West Sanitary District Fined $1.55M for Sewage Spill

The Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board approved a $1.55 million administrative civil liability settlement against Goleta West Sanitary District for a February 2024 sewage spill that discharged over 1 million gallons of untreated wastewater near Goleta Beach in Santa Barbara County. The spill closed Goleta Beach for 23 days and affected the Goleta Slough State Marine Conservation Area and Pacific Ocean. The penalty is the largest ever approved by the regional board for a singular discharge event.