California’s water year 2014 – which ended Sept. 30 – will go down as one of the driest years in the state’s recorded history, resulting in a dismally low 5% of water deliveries from the State Water Project and thousands of acres of cropland idled, according to newly released figures from the California Department of Water Resources.

Eric Garner, a leading authority on water law and a managing partner at Best Best & Krieger LLP, will discuss California’s historic new groundwater management act at Thursday’s luncheon at ACWA’s Fall Conference & Exhibition in San Diego.

The conference, which will take place at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego Dec. 2-Dec. 5, is themed “Moment of Truth: One State, One Water Future.” More information on the conference is here.

The San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) announced today that the Carlsbad Desalination Plant is 65% complete and on schedule for water deliveries to SDCWA by next fall.

The $1 billion project will produce 50 million gallons of water per day – or up to 56,000 acre-feet of water annually – for use across the San Diego area. The water produced will be enough to serve approximately 112,000 homes yearly and will account for 7% of the county’s water need in 2020 and one-third of all locally generated water.

ACWA Executive Director Timothy Quinn and California Water Foundation Executive Director Lester Snow co-wrote an op-ed that appeared in The Sacramento Bee Sept. 28 that details the newly-signed-into-law Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.

Calling the groundwater act a “once-in-a-century achievement,” Quinn and Snow describe the process behind crafting the legislation and its timeline for implementation. They also outline how the act allows for local control of groundwater resources.

The City-County Association of Governments of San Mateo (C/CAG) will soon offer rebates of up to $100 for rain barrel users as part of a new pilot program geared towards conservation, which is being developed in partnership with the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA).

The program will be funded by $25,000 that had already allocated in C/CAG’s budget for the countywide stormwater program and will run through June 30, 2015.  C/CAG and BAWSCA anticipate the program will begin in October.

ACWA’s board of directors during its board meeting last Friday voted to formally support Proposition 2, the Rainy Day Budget Stabilization Act.

ACWA has prepared the below Proposition 2 Fact Sheet, which details the measure’s provisions, lists arguments by supporters and opponents, and provides additional resources.

More information on Proposition 2 can be found inthe Secretary of State’s Official Voter Information Guide.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) on September 29 opened a second application period for $10 million in on-farm State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) grants authorized by emergency drought legislation.

The SWEEP grants will provide financial assistance to agricultural operations seeking to implement water conservation measures that result in increased water efficiency and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

The Calaveras County Water District announced this week that its customers have reduced water use in August by 22.2%, as compared to August 2013 figures.

The August reduction exceeds the goal set by Gov. Jerry Brown, who asked all Californians to reduce water usage by 20% and marks the third consecutive month the district has reduced its water use. In June the district reduced water use by 12.8% and in July reductions were at 20.8%.