About Water Rights

What is a Water Right?

A water right is legal permission to use a reasonable amount of water for a beneficial purpose such as swimming, fishing, farming or industry. If you take water from a lake, river, stream, or creek, or from underground supplies for a beneficial use, the California Water Code (Division 2) requires that you have a water right. Because California water right law is complicated, you may have a water right even if you do not have a water right permit issued by the state. Read more...

Low Flows

In response to the Russian River Biological Opinion (BO), the Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA) has petitioned the State Water Board to permanently reduce the flows of the lower Russian River by roughly 45% each summer with the idea that it will benefit endangered Coho Salmon and threatened Steelhead Trout. The goal of the flow reductions per the BO are aimed at creating a closed, freshwater lagoon in the Russian River estuary, an idea that could have merit. At this time though, the call for permanent flow changes is a hypothesis and is not supported by enough scientific information to provide confidence that this change will benefit the endangered fish. As a result Riverkeeper, along with other groups, has filed a formal protest of the petition.

The SCWA petition seeks to reduce summer flows under current water right decision D1610 from 125 cubic feet per second to 70 in the lower River. This could have severe long-term impacts on the water quality and recreation in the River and be especially harsh on the summer recreation economy on the lower River downstream of SCWA pumps in Forestville.  Riverkeeper is concerned due to the potential unintended consequences of this change that could harm fish and will certainly impact the lower River community. As pointed out by Fisheries Biologist Bill Trush in a 2004 review of similar flow reduction proposals, "The salmon management strategy of providing minimal environmental conditions...has failed throughout the Pacific Northwest".
Riverkeeper's goal in protesting is to ensure that the notion of reducing flows to help fish is adequately studied as we have little room for error and future generations are counting on us to get this right. This decision will affect the Russian River for decades and we are looking for your support for this important decision.

Frost Protection

Riverkeeper is working with County and State officials to help draft a plan that allows grape growers access to Russian River water without endangering fish. The State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) has held several workshops to receive information regarding the need for and the effect of water diversions for purposes of frost protection of crops.The State Water Board requested information regarding the current hydrology of the Russian River watershed, the status and life history of Russian River salmonids, issues associated with frost control and particularly with water diversions for frost control, the impact or potential impact of water diversions on Russian River salmonids, ongoing cooperative voluntary actions that are being taken to address these issues, and the need for further regulatory action by the State Water Board. Read more...

Press Democrat article: Sonoma Supervisors consider new frost protection regulations (12/6/10)

Illegal Diversions

There are estimated to be over 1100 unauthorized, illegal diversions in the North Coast counties, most of them associated with agriculture/wineries. Download map of illegal diversions.