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<br />HowlDoes California's Water Allocation Work? <br /> <br />It may surprise you 10 End out thaI your <br />drin~:ng waler comes from a source far <br />away.:n$le'adoffromlhemrerfio'Ning <br />through your community Waler supphes do <br />not always come from the most obvious <br />sources. lx>cause waler rights in many nvers <br />and streams were established long ago <br />',I,'hat IS allne olhe! end of yOU! tap <br />depends lar~Jy on the foreSight and plan- <br />ning of the early settlers and leaders who <br />founded your community. and on historic <br />land uses Some cilles, such as Sacramento. <br />claimed early nghts to waler from the <br />Sacramento Rivet 10 sUpJXlrt grov.1hfar mto <br />the future These estabJishedwater nghts <br />and other arrangements assure the city of <br />Sacramento of adequale waler for most of <br />its needs loday. Many smaller communities <br />".nth seemmgly plemifuJ surface water did <br />not establish nghts to nearby sources Now <br />there may not be enough unallocated waler <br />for their needs A5 a result. they may pur. <br />chase water (rom other water suppliers. <br />such as state or federal v,'ater projeds or <br />larger waler districts. rather than using local <br />sources <br />The nght to use water In Califoffila is <br />based on very early pnnciples of law, much <br />like property rights. and once a water right is <br />established. It is very difficult to change All <br />uses of water whelher npanan. appropriatiVE' <br />or ground '..;atel are subjE'd to thE' state <br />const:tuttonaI prohib:l1on of waste or <br />unreasonable USE'. <br />Water nghts la'.... In Califoffila was first <br />based on Mexican rule, and later also on <br />English common law. both o( which in' <br />cluded the doctnne of r:panan rights <br />Riparian lands (those '1extto bodies of <br />waterl wele enlltled to use that watel, <br />though the nghtscould not be transferred <br />apart from the land Ripanan ngnls st~1 have <br />pnority owr mosl other water rights <br /> <br />ApprOpnalNE' ngnts began !o be estab. <br />lished In 1870 fOllands that were nO! adja- <br />cent to wate:. first by merely takmg and <br />usmg the water. and later by posting a <br />notice althe pomt ofdNersion and filmg a <br />copy of the nOllce 'Nitn the county recorder <br />The principle that governed these nghls was <br />firSllnUme.firslmnghl based on the <br />earHest clalrn to Ihe water In 1914. the <br />State assumed administralionoffurther <br />appropnations of waler and established a <br />peTml! system. ',\;hich is now under the <br />JurisdictIon of the Stale Water Resources <br />Control Board The general rule of priority <br />for surface water is first prionty for ripanans. <br />lower pnonlles for appropnators based on <br />the "first in lime, first in right." pnntlp!e <br />The use of ground water is generally not <br />regulated, except in hastnS where disputes <br />have occurred and there has been a coun <br />adJudIcatIOn. resultmg in directed manage. <br />menl of the ground water <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Who Distributes California's Water? <br /> <br />Unt~ about 1900 ....'ilter development III <br />California was usually underta~en by indi. <br />Vlduals and private companies Then as the <br />state begail to develop. Ol:es, imgahon dls, <br />tncts. public utilit:es. and large mumcipal <br />agencies b-lgan 10 ta~e the responSibility for <br />water development Eventually the state <br />began stalev.,de water planning and devel- <br />oped major water projects Met establish- <br />ment of the U 5 Bu:eau of Peclamallon in <br />1902. the federal government also divel. <br />oped la:g<' ""'iller projects in California and <br />the.....est <br /> <br />