Newsom seeks to save more floodwater from recent storms

San Francisco Chronicle

As another atmospheric river drenches California, Gov. Gavin Newsom is trying to assure residents that his administration is making it as easy as possible to capture floodwater and store it underground for drier times.

Newsom signed an executive order Friday afternoon that makes it easier for water suppliers and farmers to divert water, temporarily suspending some regulations, including reviews under the California Environmental Quality Act, that allow users to divert without water rights permits.

“California is seeing extreme rain and snow, so we’re making it simple to redirect water to recharge groundwater basins,” Newsom said in a statement. “This order helps us take advantage of expected intense storms and increases state support for local stormwater capture efforts.”

SNIP

The Democratic governor’s action allows users to divert flood-stage water if they plan to pump it underground into aquifers, a storage method that Newsom has increasingly emphasized amid an unusually wet winter.

MORE (paywall): https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/gavin-newsom-water-storage-17832937.php

Details (from the link):

• Water experts say the most cost-effective method to store more water in wet years is to bank it underground.

• The order includes protections to prohibit water diversions that would harm water quality or wildlife habitats.