2026 Water Transfer btwn Valley Water & Kern County Water Agency Member Units Lost Hills & Berrenda Mesa Water Districts, & Westside Mutual Water Company
Summary
SCH Number
2026081078
Public Agency
Santa Clara Valley Water District
Document Title
2026 Water Transfer btwn Valley Water & Kern County Water Agency Member Units Lost Hills & Berrenda Mesa Water Districts, & Westside Mutual Water Company
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
8/28/2026
Document Description
Valley Water and Kern County Water Agency (KCWA) are State Water Project (SWP) contractors. Valley Water will request that the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) transfer up to 8,000 acre feet of Valley Water’s surplus 2026 SWP Table A water to KCWA. DWR will deliver the water to KCWA via the SWP Banks Pumping Plant on Reach 1 of the California Aqueduct. KCWA will then deliver the water to Lost Hills Water District, Berrenda Mesa Water District, and Westside Mutual Water Company for use on existing agricultural lands in Kern County. The water will be transferred using existing diversion, conveyance, and storage facilities.
Contact Information
Name
Kelly White
Agency Name
Santa Clara Valley Water District (Valley Water)
Job Title
Environmental Planner
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency / Project Applicant / Parties Undertaking Project
Phone
Email
Location
Cities
Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Gatos, Lost Hills, Berrenda Mesa, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, San Jose, Santa Clara, Saratoga, Sunnyvale
Counties
Kern, Santa Clara
Regions
Southern California
Other Location Info
The water will be transferred to KCWA's existing turnouts using existing State Water Project diversion, conveyance, and storage facilities.
Lost Hills Water District (Lost Hills), Berrenda Mesa Water District (Berrenda Mesa), and Westside Mutual Water Company (Westside) are located in Kern County.
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Class 1, Existing Facilities, CEQA Guidelines Section 15301
Reasons for Exemption
The project does not involve new construction or alteration of existing
facilities. The water transfer will be conducted via existing water diversion, conveyance, and storage facilities with negligible or no expansion of existing or former use. None of the exceptions in CEQA Guidelines §15300.2 that would disqualify the project from being categorically exempt exist.
County Clerks
Kern, Santa Clara
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
Disclaimer: The Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI) accepts no responsibility for the content or accessibility of these documents. To obtain an attachment in a different format, please contact the lead agency at the contact information listed above. For more information, please visit LCI’s Accessibility Site.