Determination of water rights: stream system.

Senator Laird's water rights legislation revises California's process for investigating and adjudicating stream system water rights by modifying how the State Water Resources Control Board collects and verifies water usage information. The bill updates requirements for field investigations and establishes new mechanisms for obtaining data from water users.

Under the modified framework, board representatives must examine water use by claimants who file notices of intent, documenting details such as irrigated acreage, diversion infrastructure, and water quantities. The bill removes the mandate for in-person field investigations, instead allowing the board to conduct them optionally with 30 days' notice. When investigations occur, claimants must be present either personally or through an authorized agent.

The legislation adds provisions enabling the board to issue information orders when initial data submissions prove insufficient. Recipients must respond within 75 days, providing technical reports about their water use and rights claims. The board must justify these requests in writing and allow cost-sharing when multiple parties would duplicate reporting efforts. The bill maintains existing procedures for reconsidering and appealing board decisions while extending them to cover these new investigative processes.