The legal, financial, and economic foundations for operating the State Water Project are contained in 29 long-term water supply contracts. These contracts also contain the foundation for the State's water policy.

State Water Project facilities are the only facilities that can transfer water between Northern California and Southern California and the central coast. Consequently, many agencies other than State Water Project contractors ask DWR to use them to deliver and receive water. Those agencies include the federal government; federal Central Valley Project contractors; private companies; and cities in Northern and Southern California.

We assist SWP contractors with all matters concerning the 29 long-term water supply contracts. We also process any requests from other agencies to use State Water Project facilities. We are responsible for the contracts’ accuracy and distribution; we handle the logistical and financial details; and we often conduct research on various aspects of the contracts. Each year, our efforts result in the delivery of water totaling a few million acre-feet per year. In the early stages of State Water Project construction, DWR negotiated settlement agreements to obtain rights to water from the Feather River in Northern California near Oroville. We administer those settlement agreements, which include supplying approximately 900,000 acre-feet of water each year to agencies adjacent to the Feather River that hold water rights senior to DWR’s.

For additional information about this branch's activities, please contact Craig J. Trombly.