Dec 12, 2017 -- Cannabis cultivators will need to comply with new rules from The State Water Board, in order to get their licenses from the state. On December 6, a team of water board representatives addressed a crowd at the Ukiah City Conference Center. Growers learned about the new requirements, the small irrigation use permits, and how to sign up for the program using an online portal.
However, confusion about whether the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has jurisdiction over particular sites or not remains. The program is designed to minimize environmental impacts, partly by allowing growers to store water so they are not diverting during the dry season. For the first year, the State Water Board will allow growers to continue diverting water as they implement their systems. But CDFW will not allow diversions in areas where cultivators need a Lake and Streambed Alteration agreement with CDFW. All growers will need to apply for the agreement, but they will not find out until after the application process if they need the agreement, or if they qualify for a notice saying they are not under CDFW jurisdiction.
In this piece, we'll hear about a few key points of the new program, and talk to some growers about what they think. Some attendees were dismayed, while others found the new regulations pretty reasonable.