Department of Water Resources: water supply forecasting.

Senator Hurtado's water supply forecasting legislation directs the California Department of Water Resources to modernize its forecasting capabilities by implementing new climate change-responsive models by January 2027. The department must establish and publish specific criteria for determining when these updated models demonstrate sufficient predictive accuracy for individual watersheds.

The bill requires the department to formalize its procedures for documenting operational plans and water release decisions from state reservoirs. Starting in 2028, annual reports to the Legislature will detail the rationale behind the previous year's operational choices. The department must also hold at least two public meetings annually, rotating between locations in Redding, San Francisco, Tulare, and Southern California, to present its operational decisions and progress implementing the new forecasting approach.

To ensure transparency, the department must provide 60 days' notice before these meetings on its website and compile the presented information into publicly available annual reports. These reporting requirements remain in effect through January 2032, at which point they expire unless extended by subsequent legislation.