November 8, 2020 - By Pamela Kan-Rice - California water-rights holders are required by state law to measure and report the water they divert from surface streams. For people who wish to take the water measurements themselves, the University of California Cooperative Extension is offering a virtual training to receive certification Nov. 18. 

At the workshop, participants can expect to:

• clarify reporting requirements for ranches.
• understand what meters are appropriate for different situations.
• learn how to determine measurement equipment accuracy.
• develop an understanding of measurement weirs.
• learn how to calculate and report volume from flow data.

Registration is $25 per participant. If you would like a binder of materials mailed to you, there is an additional $15 fee. A Zoom link will be sent to participants after registration. To register, visit http://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=32393.

“We are limiting the number participants for thewater measurement training to 30 people,” said Larry Forero, UC Cooperative Extension livestock and natural resources advisor. “If you need this training, register soon.”  

For more information, contact Forero at lcforero@ucanr.edu or Sara Jaimes at sbjaimes@ucanr.edu or call the UCCE office in Shasta County at (530) 224-4900.

Background:

Senate Bill 88 requires that all water right holders who have previously diverted or intend to divert more than 10 acre-feet per year (riparian and pre-1914 claims), or who are authorized to divert more than 10 acre-feet per year under a permit, license, or registration, to measure and report the water they divert. 

Detailed information on the regulatory requirements for measurement and reporting is available on the State Water Resources Control Board Reporting and Measurement Regulation webpage. The legislation as written requires for diversion (or storage) greater than or equal to 100-acre feet annually that installation and certification of measurement methods be approved by an engineer/contractor/professional. 

The California Cattlemen's Association worked with Assemblyman Bigelow to introduce a bill that would allow a self-certification option. Assembly Bill 589 became law on Jan. 1, 2018. This bill, until Jan. 1, 2023, allows any diverter, as defined, “who has completed this instructional course on measurement devices and methods administered by the University of California Cooperative Extension,” including passage of a proficiency test, to be considered a qualified individual when installing and maintaining devices or implementing methods of measurement. The bill required UC Cooperative Extension and the board to jointly develop the curriculum for the course and the proficiency test.
Source: UC ANR