SWRCB / EIR on Modifications to Cachuma Project Water Rights Permit

State Board EIR on Modifications to Cachuma Project Water Rights Permit

Because the State Board is evaluating various alternatives to existing Cachuma Project operations, it decided to prepare an Environmental Impact Report on Modifications to Reclamation's Cachuma Water Right Permits. A Draft EIR was published in August 2003. Based on testimony presented at the Phase 2 Hearing, the State Board issued a revised Draft EIR in July 2007 that included two new alternatives. The Final EIR is the last remaining evidentiary document that the State Board must consider prior to rendering a decision and a new water rights order for the Cachuma Project.

The eventual outcome of the Hearing is unknown, as well as when the State Board will issue a new water rights order. Future State Board actions regarding the Cachuma permits may or may not modify the current appropriations and uses of water diverted from the Santa Ynez River.