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State Water Board Drought Year Water Actions - Russian River

Russian River Tributaries Emergency Regulation - Informational Order

NOTICE: Please contact State Water Board staff to complete the Information Order by email at rr_tribs_emergency_reg@waterboards.ca.gov or by phone at: 916-322-8422.

Please read the instructions and information on this page prior to contacting SWRCB staff.

  • Administrative Civil Liability (ACL) Complaints for Failure to Provide Required Information Fact Sheet - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - Why is it the State Water Board's Division of Water Rights issuing the ACL Complaints? What is an ACL? Who was issued an ACL Complaint? What are the penalties and options for individuals who receive an ACL Complaint? And other FAQs. A copy of the ACL package is available below.
  • Russian River Informational Order Fact Sheet – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – What is an Informational Order? Who is required to respond to the Informational Order? Why is the State Water Board issuing the Informational Order? And other FAQs.
  • All landowners and water suppliers within the Dutch Bill Creek, Green Valley Creek, portions of Mark West Creek, and Mill Creek watersheds are required to submit the requested information within 30 days of receipt of the Informational Order. Per the regulation, failure to comply with the Informational Order could result in enforcement with penalties of up to $500 for each day the information is not submitted after it is due. Additional monetary penalties may also be imposed for any other non-compliance.
  • To assist you in gathering the necessary information and documents, Sample Informational Order Forms are provided below for each type of water use or diversion. It is recommended you print and review the applicable sample forms and collect all the necessary information prior to completing the Online Informational Order Form.
  • Property owners with multiple water sources and/or diversions should enter the information for each source under the login for that parcel. Owners of multiple parcels will have to enter the Identification Code for the specific parcel they are reporting on, and enter a new Identification Code for each additional parcel (the password will be the same for owners with multiple parcels or water rights).
  • For landowners, the Identification Code corresponds to the 12-digit parcel number, which is provided in the Informational Order letter sent to all landowners in the four watersheds. Owners of several parcels will have a single password and a list of their parcels and/or water rights. For water suppliers, the Identification Code corresponds to the Water Supplier Identification Number on file with the State Water Resources Control Board’s Division of Drinking Water.

Letters notifying affected parties of the issuance of an Informational Order applicable to them have been or will soon be mailed to all landowners and water suppliers in the watersheds listed below. The letter includes your Identification Code and Password which will allow you to log into the Russian River Tributaries Informational Order Form. Letters were addressed to the landowners or listed representatives exactly as recorded with the Sonoma County Assessor's Office or as updated with the State Water Board. If you received a letter listing a parcel you no longer own please email the State Water Board, at the email address below, with the parcel number and new owner contact information, so the State Water Board can verify the change in ownership and update its mailing lists. To correct errors in names or addresses for official parcel records, please contact the Sonoma County Assessor's Office.

Tributary Watershed Informational Order Due Date
Dutch Bill Creek October 9, 2015*
Green Valley Creek October 14, 2015*
Mark West Creek October 20, 2015
Mill Creek October 23, 2015
* This date includes a nine-day extension due to the unavailability of the Online Informational Order Form from the afternoon of September 2 through the afternoon of September 11, 2015.

Informational Order Correspondence to Landowners and Water Suppliers (ACL Complaints, Reminder Letters, and Informational Order Issuance)

Informational Order Forms and Key Resources

 

Background and Instructions

The Online Informational Order Form is designed to aid users with their compliance with the Informational Order, guiding users to enter only the information required for their situation. It is broken into two main sections: 1) Water Source; and 2) Water Use. Landowners whose sole source of water is from a municipal provider select their Water Supplier, provide their primary water use (e.g., domestic) from a list, and certify their response. Landowners reporting for a parcel with no water available or used on the parcel would select “No Water Available at Parcel” and certify their response. Water users who supply all or portions of their own water from a surface or subsurface (groundwater) diversion will be asked for details about their diversion(s), including location(s), type(s) of diversion, and use(s). Resources for locating information or guidance for estimating diversions and water use amounts are provided above in the Resources and Guidance Table.

At this time the State Water Board has incomplete information on surface and groundwater diversions and their effects on instream flows in the Russian River tributary watersheds. The information provided pursuant to the Informational Orders will help better determine the impacts of surface water and groundwater diversions on instream flow and inform future actions, if any, to address flow-related impacts from surface water and groundwater diversions. The information requested in the Informational Order was informed by input received at the July 6-9, 2015 public meetings.

Individuals who are diligently working to comply with the Informational Order and submittal deadline may be granted an extension upon demonstrating substantial compliance and a showing of good cause. If you have a special circumstance and feel you meet these requirements please contact State Water Board staff at the contact information listed below. Such requests should be made well in advance of the deadline to allow time for adequate consideration and approval if appropriate.

A response to this Informational Order does not constitute a legal claim to the use of California's water supply, nor does it supersede any separate reporting obligations related to water rights or claims. All surface water users are required to periodically report on their water usage. Riparian and pre-1914 water right owner or agent must submit an initial statement of diversion and use by July 1 of the year following the when the diversion started. A supplemental statement must be filed by the owner or agent of record at three-year intervals following the filing of the initial statement of diversion and use. All other surface water diverters must submit an application for a permit or license to divert water; or a livestock stockpond, small domestic, or small irrigation registration. Permit and license holders must report their diversion and use information annually. Livestock stockpond, small domestic, and small irrigation registrations do not file reports of diversion and use. If you are diverting surface water and have not filed a statement of diversion and use for riparian or pre-1914 appropriative water right claims, do not have an appropriative water right permit or license, or a livestock stockpond, small domestic, or small irrigation registration you should contact State Water Board staff at the phone number or email address listed below to assist you with determining what type(s) of water right applies to your diversion and use and any additional actions that may be needed to begin legally diverting water. The diversion and/or use of water without a valid water right is a trespass against the State of California and can lead to imposition of administrative penalties for each day of unauthorized diversion or use. For more information on reporting and application requirements please visit the webpages linked below.

For more background information on the Russian River Tributaries Emergency Regulation please visit the main Russian River Emergency Regulation webpage

Additional Resources

  • Russian River Mapping Lookup Tool & Maps - The lookup tool can be used to get the spatial (e.g., GPS) coordinates of your surface or groundwater diversion.
  • Locations of Publically Accessible Computers - If you do not have a computer or internet access, you can find computers with web access at these locations or contact State Water Board staff at the contact information provided below.
  • Flow Chart of Online Informational Order Form - Flow chart that provides an overview of how the Online Informational Order Form is structured.

State Water Board Contact Information

Questions regarding the Russian River Tributaries Emergency Regulation Informational Order and its associated online form can be directed to State Water Board staff at:

emailenv  Subscribe to the Russian River Tributaries Emergency Regulation email list to receive notifications and the latest updates (see the "Water Rights" section).