Report 2022-106 Recommendation 4 Responses

Report 2022-106: Department of Water Resources: Its Forecasts Do Not Adequately Account for Climate Change and Its Reasons for Some Reservoir Releases Are Unclear (Release Date: May 2023)

Recommendation #4 To: Water Resources, Department of

To ensure that it can demonstrate effective oversight of State Water Project operations and efficient use of the project's water supply, DWR should, by May 2024, develop and implement a policy and set of procedures for documenting the following:

1. Its monthly and annual plans for operating the State Water Project, including the amount of water that it intends to release, store, and export.

2. The rationale behind its plans and an explanation of how the plans will help it to achieve the project's objectives.

3. A description of any changes that it makes during its operations that deviate from its plans.

4. The rationale for any changes that it makes, including the conditions that led to the change, the specific reason for the change, and any viable alternatives that it considered.

5. The degree to which it succeeds in achieving each of the project's various objectives on a monthly and annual basis.

6-Month Agency Response

DWR continues to develop a policy to further document its practices and procedures related to water operations. DWR has implemented the use of a new internal operations report to enhance documentation of the rationale for operations and changes to those operations. DWR is on track to implement Recommendation No. 4 by May 2024.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending

We look forward to evaluating DWR's implementation of this recommendation when it provides its new policy and procedures as well as examples of its internal reports demonstrating that it has implemented each element of the recommendation.

60-Day Agency Response

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) will enhance our formal documentation on the development of SWP water supply planning studies procedures as well as the rationale for real-time operating procedures. DWR is exploring alternative methods to make this information publicly available.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

All Recommendations in 2022-106

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.