To:  Water Right Holders in the Shasta River Watershed (sent to water right holders for which the Board has email addresses and to the Scott-Shasta Drought E-mail List) 

Water rights in the Shasta River watershed with a priority date of or junior to January 1, 1958, must cease diversions immediately. These water rights have been changed from a status of “conditionally curtailed” to “curtailed” as noted in this email and the online curtailment mapping tool.  Under the terms of Order WR 2024-0006-DWR, ordering paragraph 4, diverters with a priority of or junior to January 1, 1958, must check daily to determine whether diversion is permissible when flows are below 55 cfs at the Yreka USGS gage (for May – September 15). 

Water rights with priority dates of, or between November 25, 1912, and December 31, 1957, remain conditionally curtailed and these diverters must curtail in order of priority to meet and sustain the flow requirement of 50 cubic feet per second (cfs) at the Yreka United States Geological Survey (USGS) gage. Flows are currently less than 50 cfs such that the water rights in this group must immediately curtail in order of priority under Order WR 2023-0006-DWR, ordering paragraphs 2 and 5. The requirement to continue coordination with the Scott Valley and Shasta Valley Watermaster District or the State Water Board continues, as described under Order WR 2024-0006-DWR, ordering paragraph 3.   

This notice is provided pursuant to the Curtailment Order (Order WR 2024-0006-DWR) issued for the Shasta River watershed on June 7, 2024. Flows have been declining in the Shasta River and have dropped below the minimum emergency flow requirement at the Yreka USGS gage. Recent coordination of diversions has likely improved flows above the conditions that would exist without such effort but have been ineffective in meeting and sustaining the minimum flow requirement.   

Continued Diversions for Minimum Human Health and Safety, Minimum Livestock Needs, or Instream Use 

You may also submit the applicable form(s) to request a limited exception for continued diversion for minimum human health and safety needs, minimum livestock needs, or instream uses. The login and password information for completion of the forms is provided in Attachment A of your Curtailment Order.  Even “curtailed” diversions can continue to divert for these approved uses when the appropriate form(s) is provided, and approved, if applicable. 

Additional Information and Resources 

Additional information, including a copy of the Curtailment Order, is available on the Scott River and Shasta River Watersheds Emergency Regulation webpage. If you have questions related to this email or the Emergency Regulation, please contact us by email to: ScottShastaDrought@waterboards.ca.gov or leave a message on the Scott and Shasta Emergency Regulation phone line at: (916) 327-3113.  

If you received this notice in a forwarded message and would like to receive future emails related to this and similar efforts, please sign up for the State Water Board’s “Scott-Shasta Drought” email subscription list under “State Water Resources Control Board”, then “Water Rights” at: https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/resources/email_subscriptions/