Department of Water Resources: water supply forecasting.

Senator Hurtado’s proposal would add a new Water Supply Forecasting framework to the Water Code, directing the Department of Water Resources to update its forecasting models to address climate-change effects and to publish the criteria by which those models are deemed ready for use in each watershed. The central objective is to increase transparency around forecasting capabilities and the department’s operating decisions tied to reservoir releases.

Under the measure, the department must complete the climate-change–informed update of its forecasting models and procedures by early 2027, and thereafter report annually to the Legislature on progress, with those reports posted publicly on the department’s website. The department would also publish, on its website, the specific criteria it will use to determine when the updated model demonstrates sufficient predictive capability for use in each watershed. The reporting requirement is established as inoperative after January 1, 2032, and reports must conform to the state’s public reporting standards.

The proposal also requires the department to implement a formal policy and procedures documenting its operational plans and the rationale for its operating procedures, including the rationale for reservoir releases, by January 2027. Beginning in 2028, and annually thereafter, the department would submit to the Legislature a report explaining the rationale for its operating procedures for the previous water year, with similar sunset and reporting standards as the forecasting reports. Public posting of these rationales is mandated, alongside compliance with established government reporting standards.

Overall, the measure emphasizes greater transparency in forecasting methods and reservoir-operating decisions, with annual reporting to the Legislature and ongoing public access to model readiness criteria and operational rationales. It does not specify new funding, penalties, or explicit enforcement mechanisms, and it envisions sunset of the reporting requirements in early 2032, subject to the Government Code’s general sunset framework. The proposal situates these changes within existing statutory reporting obligations and does not amend broader planning documents beyond adding these new, time-bound requirements.