Mar 5, 2020

California Extension offers water measurement, reporting courses April 14

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 training to receive certification in Redding and Woodland.

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.

Trainings are scheduled for April 14, 2020:

8 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. at Shasta College Farm in Redding. A registration form can be downloaded at  http://ceshasta.ucanr.edu/files/280448.pdf. For more information, contact Larry Forero ([email protected]) or Sara Jaimes ([email protected]) at the UCCE office in Shasta County at (530) 224-4900.

2:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. at UC Cooperative Extension in Woodland. Register at http://cecapitolcorridor.ucanr.edu. For more information, contact Morgan Doran at [email protected]) or (530) 666-8143.

“There will be a limited number of water measurement trainings offered in 2020,” said Larry Forero, UC Cooperative Extension livestock and natural resources advisor. “If you need this training, register soon.”

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.