Posts By: Gail Delihant
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What Members Need to Know: New SB 54 Updates from CalRecycle and CDFA
We wanted to share a brief update following a recent meeting between California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Secretary Karen Ross, CalRecycle Director Zoe Heller and CalRecycle staff to address several questions related to California’s SB 54 implementation. Key Takeaways Source Reduction Plans Due Aug. 1, 2026 The source reduction submittal is intended to help Circular…
SB 54 Update: Exclusion Pathway for Fresh Produce Packaging
California’s SB 54 is set to significantly reshape packaging requirements for fresh produce operations, bringing new compliance obligations—but also potential opportunities for exclusion may apply to your fresh produce packaging. What This Means for You Under SB 54, most packaging used for fresh or fresh-cut produce (including plastic bags, films, and clamshells) is considered…
Urgent Call to Action: CA Packaging Bill SB 54 Final Regulations – 15-Day Comment Period
SB 54 Final Regulations – 15-Day Comment Period Comment Deadline: February 13, 2026 On Jan. 29, 2026, CalRecycle released its final permanent draft “SB 54 Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act” regulations for a 15-day public comment period (January 29–February 13). This draft significantly departs from the December 2025 version and effectively…
Statewide Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program: Upcoming Agricultural Expert Panel Sessions
The State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) is holding several upcoming working group sessions for the Second Statewide Agricultural Expert Panel. The Panel will discuss, evaluate and hear testimony on key water quality issues. The discussion will focus on identifying the most effective ways to manage water quality in the Eastern San Joaquin River Watershed and California’s…
Revised Ag Expert Panel Sessions for Statewide Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program
The State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) is holding several upcoming working group sessions for the Second Statewide Agricultural Expert Panel. The Panel will be discussing, evaluating and taking testimony regarding – among other regulatory issues – appropriate amounts of nitrate applications per crop and whether the state water board should establish formal…
Statewide Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program: Agricultural Expert Panel Sessions
The State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) is holding two upcoming working group sessions for the Second Statewide Agricultural Expert Panel. The Panel will be discussing, evaluating and taking testimony regarding – among other regulatory issues – appropriate amounts of nitrate applications per crop and whether the state water board should establish formal limits. These…
Water 411: Understanding California’s Complex Water System
Most of California’s water supply is managed through two major projects: the Central Valley Project (CVP) and the State Water Project (SWP). These systems rely on an intricate network of rivers, dams, reservoirs and pumps to store and distribute water across the state. Understanding how these systems work is key to navigating California’s ongoing water challenges. The CVP is operated by…
California State Water Board’s Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program Expert Panel Questions Now Available Online
Earlier this year, the California State Water Board committed to consider convening a second Agricultural Expert Panel, and on May 13 draft questions were released for public comment. This included a request for areas of expertise and a call for materials for the proposed expert panel to consider. The final questions to be posed to the second Agricultural Expert Panel, in response to comments…
Western Growers Supports AB 2528
Western Growers staff testified in support of AB 2528 (Arambula) this week when it was heard in the Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee. AB 2528 provides a streamlined Williamson Act cancellation option to facilitate faster siting of energy infrastructure on former agricultural parcels and provide relief to landowners and local communities. Simplifying Williamson Act cancellations on…
California State Water Resources Control Board Warns About Low Reporting Compliance
Water Board staff have stated that compliance levels for required annual surface water diversion and use reports are low for reporting period October 1, 2022 – September 30, 2023. Reminder notices will be coming soon followed by Notices of Violation for noncompliance. This data is critical for protecting senior water rights holders and ensuring compliance with permit terms and…
WG-Opposed AB 2201 Dies on Assembly Floor
On Wednesday, August 31, WG-opposed AB 2201 died on the Assembly floor during the final hours of California’s legislative season. The bill, authored by Assemblymember Steve Bennett (D-Ventura), would have created an unworkable process for farmers to replace or drill a new well. A broad coalition of business and agricultural organizations argued that AB 2201 ...
WG-Opposed AB 2201 Dies on Assembly Floor
On Wednesday, August 31, WG-opposed AB 2201 died on the Assembly floor during the final hours of California’s legislative season. The bill, authored by Assemblymember Steve Bennett (D-Ventura), would have created an unworkable process for farmers to replace or drill a new well. A broad coalition of business and agricultural organizations argued that AB 2201 ...
California Assembly Unanimously Passes Groundwater Adjudication Bill; Bill Awaits Senate Action
On a 76-0 vote, the California Assembly passed a bill (AB 1390 – Alejo/Gomez ) that makes improvements to the process governing judicial proceedings related to groundwater adjudications. The changes reduce the burden of groundwater adjudications on both the courts and claimants without altering the law of groundwater rights and without disrupting the Sustainable Groundwater ...
Budget Proposal to Raise Water Right Fees by $4.1 Million Halted
Western Growers successfully led a coalition of agricultural organizations in stopping the administration’s proposal to increase water rights fees by $4.1 million to pay for the completion of the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan. This proposal would have resulted in a significant increase in water rights fees especially for growers in the Imperial Valley and ...
State Water Board Approves Sacramento River Temperature Management Plan
Despite significant opposition to the Sacramento River Temperature Management Plan, on July 7, the executive director of the State Water Resources Control Board approved the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s temperature management plan for the Sacramento River. The plan restricts summer water releases from Shasta Dam to preserve cold water for winter-run Chinook salmon and increases ...
Brown Vetoes WG-Supported Fair Water Rights Hearing Bill
In the final hours to sign or veto bills sent to him by the California Legislature, Governor Brown vetoed AB 313 by Assemblymember Adam Gray, a Western Growers-supported bill that would have inserted much-needed balance into the state’s water rights enforcement activities. The current system gives the State Water Resources Control Board (Water Board) authority ...
State Board Adopts Order Revising Ag Requirements for East San Joaquin River Watershed
After a marathon hearing, the State Water Resources Control Board adopted an order revising agricultural requirements for the East San Joaquin River watershed on February 7. This order adds additional reporting requirements, many of which set precedents for other irrigated lands programs throughout the state. The order affects growers who are members of the East San ...
Drinking Water Well Outreach Materials for East San Joaquin Ag Water Quality Coalition
In February 2018, the State Water Board revised the Waste Discharge Requirements (Order) for the Eastern San Joaquin River Watershed. The revised Order includes a new drinking water well monitoring requirement. Beginning on January 1, 2019, East San Joaquin Water Quality Coalition (ESJWQC) members must monitor drinking water wells on their enrolled parcels for nitrates. ...
California Water Rights 2019 Compliance Checklist Now Available
Brownstein’s California Water Group has released their California Water Rights: Compliance Checklist for 2019, which provides a summary of state water rights reporting requirements and applicable deadlines for water users in California. Water users should be mindful of the possible changes to the State Board’s administration of water rights in the next year. To mitigate ...
GSA Forum Video Now Available
Last Thursday, the Department of Water Resources hosted their public Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) Forum for GSA members and stakeholders. The Forum included panel discussions with representatives from various GSAs in California discussing how their respective GSA has approached communication, coordination, engagement and outreach. The video recording of the Forum is now available on…