22022-DWR Conveyance of up to 7,000 acre-feet of Central Valley Project Water to Kern County

This project, identified as SWP #26013, involves the conveyance of up to 10,000 acre-feet per year of Non-Project Water from the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority's Central Valley Project to the Kern County Water Agency. The water is intended for use by four member units of the Westside Districts, including the Belridge, Berrenda Mesa, Lost Hills, and Wheeler Ridge-Maricopa Water Storage Districts. The Department of Water Resources will facilitate the delivery of this water from the O'Neill Forebay and/or Banks Pumping Plant to the Kern County Water Agency's turnouts located in Reaches 9 through 16A of the State Water Project's California Aqueduct. Authorized under Article 55 of the Kern County Water Agency's Water Supply Contract with the Department of Water Resources, the project is approved for use through December 31, 2030. The Department of Water Resources approved the project on July 6, 2026, after determining that it would not have a significant environmental effect based on an Environmental Impact Report and Statement. Compliance with the project's approval is contingent upon the implementation of mitigation measures detailed in Chapter 14 of the Final EIR/EIS.