What does it cost to get a surface water right? If your land is not riparian to the stream where the water is, or maybe one parcel is but your other 5 parcels are not, then you’ll need to file for a (Post-1914) appropriative right with the State Water Resources Control Board.
Let’s say you want to irrigate 50 acres of new almond orchard in the Sacramento Valley. How much water do you need for micros-sprinkler irrigation? Let’s use the value for a 5-year-old orchard, about 3.33 acre-feet (AF) per year for irrigation and frost protection. That number comes from the U.C. Davis Report Sample Costs To Establish An Orchard And Produce Almonds Sacramento Valley – 2012, at http://aic.ucdavis.edu/almonds/cost%20studies/AlmondSprinkleSV2012.pdf ,
The total annual volume of water for 50 acres is 3.33 * 50 = about 167 AF/year. That equates to a constant flow of 0.03 cfs. But, you probably irrigate one day per week, so 7 times the average rate = 0.21 cfs. So, in your permit application, you would need to apply for 167 AF/year, diverted at a maximum rate of 0.21 cfs.
To get the rate for filing for a permit with the Board, we need to check the fee schedule: http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/fees/docs/fy15_16_fnl_fee_schd_sum.pdf
So your application fee would be $1,000, plus $15 per AF over the first 10 AF. Your cost would be $1,000 + (167 AF – 10 AF) * $15/AF, for a total of $3,350. There is also an annual cost:
Your annual fee would be $150 + $0.063 per AF over the first 10 AF. Your annual cost would be $150 + (167 AF – 10 AF) * $0.063/AF, for a total of $160/year.
Of course, these costs are if it’s a “slam dunk” and there are no complications. There would likely be a 1602 permit required by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and there could be other permits. If anyone contests the application, then you would have more fees (see the schedule), perhaps attorney fees, and perhaps a negotiation to use water from someone else’s diversion.
