Assembly BillPassed first houseWater
AB 2521: California Council on Science and Technology: water availability study: Central Valley.
What AB 2521 does, verified August 15, 2026
<blockquote> The bill requires the Department of Water Resources, in consultation with other relevant agencies, to select two watersheds within or draining into the Central Valley by January 1, 2028. It mandates these departments to conduct a comprehensive water availability study for the selected watersheds, including determining daily flow rates over the past 30 years where data is available. The California Council on Science and Technology is requested to undertake this study with funding from the legislature. The study aims to provide a basis for future applications for permits related to water diversion and underground storage in these areas. </blockquote>
Bill journey
✓IntroducedComplete
✓In CommitteeComplete
✓First Chamber FloorComplete
4Second ChamberCurrent
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: In committee: Held under submission. (2026-08-13)Alert me
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions19 total · showing 5
| Aug. 13, 2026 | In committee: Held under submission. |
| Aug. 03, 2026 | In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file. |
| Jul. 02, 2026 | Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. |
| Jul. 01, 2026 | From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 0.) (July 1). |
| Jun. 10, 2026 | Referred to Com. on N.R. & W. |
Latest bill textAmended version, July 2, 2026 · 795 words
| Amended IN Senate July 02, 2026 |
| Amended IN Assembly April 15, 2026 |
| Amended IN Assembly March 19, 2026 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 2521
| Introduced by Assembly Member Papan |
February 20, 2026 |
An act to add Section 1259.7 to the Water Code, relating to water.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2521, as amended, Papan. California Council on Science and Technology: water availability study: Central Valley.
Existing law establishes the Department of Water Resources within the Natural Resources Agency and vests it with various powers and duties related to water. Existing law requires the State Water Resources Control Board to administer a water rights program pursuant to which the board grants and revokes permits and licenses to appropriate water. Existing law authorizes any person who has an urgent need to divert and use water to apply for, and authorizes the board to issue, a conditional, temporary permit, as prescribed.
Existing law finds and declares that the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) was organized as a nonprofit corporation at the request of the Legislature for the specific purpose of offering expert advice to the state government on public policy issues significantly related to science and technology.
This bill would, on or before January 1, 2028, require the Department of Water Resources, in consultation with the State Water Resources Control Board and the Department of Fish and Wildlife, to select 2 watersheds that are within, or drain into, the Central Valley to conduct a watershedwide water availability study. The bill would, subject to an appropriation by the Legislature, request CCST to, in consultation with the Department of Water Resources and the board, undertake and complete a comprehensive study of water availability in the selected watersheds. The bill would require the study to, among other things, determine daily flow rates in rivers, streams, and creeks in the watersheds over the past 30 years to the extent data is available. The bill would require the study to be completed within 2 years of the Legislature appropriating money for purposes of undertaking the study. The bill would state the intent of the Legislature for the water availability study to serve as the water availability analysis for future applications to the board for standard or temporary permits for diversion of water to underground storage in the selected watersheds.
This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Central Valley.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 1259.7 is added to the Water Code, immediately following Section 1259.6, to read:1259.7.
(a) The department, in consultation with the board and the Department of Fish and Wildlife, shall select, on or before January 1, 2028, two watersheds that are within, or drain into, the Central Valley to conduct a watershedwide water availability study.(b) The Legislature requests that the California Council on Science and Technology, in consultation with the department and the board, subject to an appropriation by the Legislature for this purpose, undertake and complete a comprehensive study of water availability in the watersheds selected pursuant to subdivision (a). The study shall accomplish, but is not limited to, all of the following:
(1) Determine daily flow rates in rivers, streams, and creeks in the watersheds over the past 30 years to the extent data is available.
(2) Quantify the maximum allowable diversions under existing permits, licenses, and claims in the watersheds.
(3) Quantify water actually diverted under existing permits, licenses, and claims in the watersheds over the past 30 years to the extent data is available.
(4) Identify and quantify any water quality or environmental flow requirements, including water quality requirements under licenses from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, in rivers, streams, and creeks in the watersheds.
(5) Determine when and under what conditions water is available in excess of existing claims and regulatory requirements.
(c) The comprehensive study of water availability described in subdivision (b) shall be completed within two years of the Legislature appropriating money for purposes of undertaking the study.
(c)
(d) It is the intent of the Legislature that the study completed pursuant to this section will serve as the water availability analysis for future applications to the board for standard or temporary permits for diversion of water to underground storage in the watersheds selected pursuant to subdivision (a).
SEC. 2.
The Legislature finds and declares that a special statute is necessary and that a general statute cannot be made applicable within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution because of the necessity for more groundwater recharge in the Central Valley to increase water supplies, protect communities from flooding, halt land subsidence that damages infrastructure, and prepare California for the next drought.Text of AB 2521 as amended, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions