Determination of water rights: stream system.

Senator Laird's water rights legislation revises how California's State Water Resources Control Board conducts stream system investigations, shifting from mandatory field visits to a more flexible approach focused on information gathering. The bill authorizes the Board to require detailed technical reports from water rights claimants when initial documentation proves insufficient, with responses due within 75 days.

The legislation establishes new protocols for investigating water usage, requiring the Board to examine diversions by both registered claimants and known but unregistered users. While field investigations remain an option, they now require 30 days' notice to affected parties. The Board gains authority to inspect properties and facilities where water is diverted or used, including the ability to obtain inspection warrants when necessary.

For water users who have not filed notices of intent, the Board must provide copies of its factual determinations along with claim forms, allowing these users to participate in the adjudication process on equal footing with those who filed timely notices. The bill extends existing procedures for reconsidering and amending Board decisions to these new determinations, maintaining consistent administrative and judicial review processes across all water rights matters.