Section 597 - Agricultural Water MeasurementUnder the authority included under California Water Code § 10608.48(i)(1), the Department of Water Resources (Department) is required to adopt regulations that provide for a range of options that agricultural water suppliers may use or implement to comply with the measurement requirements in paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of § 10608.48.
For reference, § 10608.48(b) of the California Water Code states that:
Agricultural water suppliers shall implement all of the following critical efficient management practices:
(1) Measure the volume of water delivered to customers with sufficient accuracy to comply with subdivision (a) of Section 531.10 and to implement paragraph (2).(2) Adopt a pricing structure for water customers based at least in part on quantity delivered.For further reference, § 531.10(a) of the California Water Code requires that:
(a) An agricultural water supplier shall submit an annual report to the department that summarizes aggregated farm-gate delivery data, on a monthly or bi-monthly basis, using best professional practices.Notes:
(1) Paragraphs (1) and (2) of § 10608.48(b) specify agricultural water suppliers' reporting of aggregated farm-gate water delivery and adopting a volumetric water pricing structure as the purposes of water measurement. However, this article only addresses developing a range of options for water measurement.(2) Agricultural water suppliers reporting agricultural water deliveries measured under this article shall use the "Agricultural Aggregated Farm - Gate Delivery Reporting Format for Article 2" (Rev. 6-20-12), developed for this article and hereby incorporated by reference. The aforementioned form is being replaced by the "Agricultural Aggregated Farm - Gate Delivery Reporting Form for Article 2" (Rev. 8-28-2013), developed for this article and hereby incorporated by reference, and shall be used annually beginning in 2014. The aforementioned form is being replaced by the "Agricultural Aggregated Farm - Gate Delivery Reporting Form for Article 2" (Rev. 10-15-2018), developed for this article and hereby incorporated by reference, and shall be used annually beginning in 2019.(3) The Department shall report on the availability of new commercially available water measurement technologies and impediments to implementation of this article when reporting to the Legislature the status of adopted Agricultural Water Management Plans in plan submittal years 2012, 2015 and every five years thereafter as required by California Water Code § 10845. The Department shall also report the findings to the California Water Commission.Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 23, § 597
1. New article 2 (sections 597-597.4) and section filed 7-11-2012; operative 7-11-2012 pursuant to Government Code section 11343.4 (Register 2012, No. 28). For prior history of article 2, sections 597-597.4, see Register 2012, No. 6.
2. Amendment of Note (2) filed 12-3-2013; operative 4-1-2014 (Register 2013, No. 49).
3. Change without regulatory effect amending penultimate paragraph filed 1-15-2019 pursuant to section 100, title 1, California Code of Regulations (Register 2019, No. 3). Note: Authority cited: Section 10608.48, Water Code. Reference: Sections 531.10, 10608.48(b), 10608.48(i), 10608.52(b) and 10845, Water Code.
1. New article 2 (sections 597-597.4) and section filed 7-11-2012; operative 7-11-2012 pursuant to Government Code section 11343.4 (Register 2012, No. 28). For prior history of article 2, sections 597-597.4, see Register 2012, No. 6.
2. Amendment of Note (2) filed 12-3-2013; operative 4-1-2014 (Register 2013, No. 49).
3. Change without regulatory effect amending penultimate paragraph filed 1-15-2019 pursuant to section 100, title 1, California Code of Regulations (Register 2019, No. 3).