Having trouble viewing this? View it as a webpage

Suspension of All Curtailments in Shasta River Watershed

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

The State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board or Board) issued Addendum 3 for the Shasta River Watershed Curtailment Order (WR 2024-0006-DWR), which suspends all curtailments for water rights in the Shasta River watershed. This means that the water right diverters noted in Attachment A to Addendum 3 may divert under their priority of right unless and until Order WR 2024-0006-DWR is further updated.

Livestock Diversions

Inefficient diversions for livestock watering, as described under the Emergency Regulation, are not permissible as of November 1, 2024. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has not yet determined that flows in the Shasta River have been sufficient to stimulate coho salmon migration. This is requirement 3(b) in the provisions of the Emergency Regulation summarized below.

The following provisions apply to everyone who diverts surface water for livestock from September 1, 2024, through January 31, 2025 (expiration of the current Regulation). The inefficient livestock watering requirement applies to all surface water diversions, no matter what priority. The following criteria need to be met in the Shasta River watershed before inefficiently diverting surface water for livestock:

1. The diverter shall notify the State Water Board by email to: ScottShastaDrought@waterboards.ca.gov with: their Name, Water Right Number and point of diversion, anticipated diversion amount(s), and their plans to track compliance and maintain records.
2. There are no active curtailments in the respective watershed. With this suspension, there are no active curtailments in the Shasta River watershed, unless this addendum is amended or superseded.
3. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has made determinations that flows have been sufficient to stimulate salmon migration.
   a.  After September 1^st for fall-run Chinook salmon; and/or
   b. After November 1^st for coho salmon.
4.  
5. For diversions on tributaries below Dwinnell Dam, the relevant tributary is and remains connected to the mainstem.

1. Except for diversions upstream of Dwinnell Dam, diversions are operated to bypass 90 percent of flow at the point of diversion, except that when flows in the Shasta River are greater than 220 cfs at the Yreka USGS gage the diversions may operate to bypass 80 percent of flow.
2. The diversions are limited further if necessary to avoid disturbing redds.

Note that CDFW notified the Board that there had been sufficient flow to stimulate fall-run Chinook salmon migration in the Shasta River watershed on October 24, 2024.  But, CDFW has not yet made such a determination for coho salmon, which migrate later in the year.  Therefore, livestock diversions under this provision of the Emergency Regulation must cease by November 1, 2024 until all conditions in Emergency Regulation section 875.7(b) are met.

Questions and How to Stay Informed

Please monitor your email and our website Scott River and Shasta River Watersheds Emergency Regulations website (https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/drought/scott shasta rivers/) for future updates.  

If you have questions regarding this email, please contact staff by email to: ScottShastaDrought@waterboards.ca.gov or leave a message at our dedicated Scott River and Shasta River Emergency Regulations 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 "Water Rights" at:  

https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/resources/email_subscriptions/swrcb subscribe