Water Resources Management

California Water Board Warns Scott River Diversion Holders of Potential Curtailments and Higher Penalties

California’s State Water Resources Control Board has warned Scott River watershed diverters that flows are rapidly declining toward emergency minimum instream flow thresholds and that curtailments may be reimposed if voluntary conservation and coordinated diversions do not keep flows above these levels, under its existing drought emergency regulation and priority-based curtailment framework. Because Assembly Bill 460 has sharply increased maximum civil penalties for violating curtailment orders and other Board requirements, water-rights holders now face significantly higher enforcement and financial risk, making proactive flow monitoring, metering, and cooperative local water-management arrangements increasingly important for irrigation and other diversions.

13 May 2026, 11:51waterboards.ca.govUnited States

South Korea National Assembly Passes Six Climate‑Energy‑Environment Bills on Drought, Wildlife and Circular Economy

On 7 May 2026, South Korea's National Assembly passed six major climate, energy and environment amendment bills strengthening state powers on water reuse, wildlife protection, resource circulation, vehicle emissions management and support for environmental industries. These coordinated changes will tighten obligations and incentives for utilities, local governments, electronics and automotive retailers, industrial operators and environmental service providers, requiring early planning for new infrastructure, circular-economy investments and compliance systems ahead of staged entry into force from promulgation and July 2027.

12 May 2026, 18:27korea.krSouth Korea

Ukraine Cabinet Approves Draft Law 15096 on Water Protection Liability

Ukraine’s Cabinet has approved Draft Law No. 15096 and advanced it into parliamentary committee review to strengthen administrative liability for violations of water-protection and rational water-use rules. If adopted, this will tighten enforcement against industrial and municipal operators that abstract, discharge or otherwise impact water bodies, increasing the risk of sanctions for poor water-management practices.

12 May 2026, 15:33itd.rada.gov.uaUkraine

California AB 2619 Proposes Data Center Water-Use Reporting and Planning Requirements

California AB 2619 would require owners of large and mid-size data centers to report detailed direct and indirect water-use metrics to water suppliers and on city and county business licence applications, and mandate state guidance on data-center water efficiency by 1 January 2029. If adopted, this would tie data-center siting and expansion more tightly to urban water planning, favouring projects that can document low-impact cooling designs, non-potable supply options and transparent water reporting in drought-sensitive regions.

12 May 2026, 15:10leginfo.legislature.ca.govUnited States

Bulgaria Government Submits Draft Water Act Amendments on Irrigation Abstraction and Water Monitoring

Bulgaria’s government has submitted to Parliament a draft law amending the Water Act and Environmental Protection Act to ease irrigation abstraction, streamline water permitting and centralise marine-water monitoring from 2027. If adopted, the reforms will give farmers and municipalities easier access to water resources while tightening oversight, data transparency and cost recovery for monitoring and laboratory services, requiring early planning by water users, utilities and local authorities.

11 May 2026, 11:56parliament.bgBulgaria

Iowa DNR Seeks Comment on New Water-Use and Title V Air Permits

In early May 2026, Iowa DNR opened public comment on draft water-use permits for two large municipal systems and on renewed Title V air operating permits for four major industrial and waste facilities, alongside its April Water Summary Update. Water suppliers, landfills, paper and metals manufacturers in Iowa should review the proposed permit conditions, capacity changes and timelines now to confirm ongoing compliance and decide whether to submit comments before the late May and early June deadlines.

11 May 2026, 11:46iowadnr.govUnited States

German Environment Ministers Call for Federal Funding of Long-Distance Water Supply Systems

Germany’s environment ministers have jointly called on the federal government to create long-term funding incentives for long-distance drinking-water supply systems to strengthen water security under climate change. This political signal, backed by Bavaria’s own multi-year investment plans, suggests future federal programmes and co-financing conditions for municipalities and water utilities, so infrastructure and sustainability teams should monitor upcoming decisions on funding design and implementation.

10 May 2026, 19:20stmuv.bayern.deGermany

England: Environment Agency Publishes Water Resources Planning Guideline Consultation Outcome and Updated Guidance

In May 2026 the Environment Agency concluded its consultation on updates to the Water resources planning guideline and published the final guidance and consultation outcome for England. Water companies and regional planning groups now need to align upcoming water resources plans with the updated guidance, which will shape expectations on supply security and environmental protection.

10 May 2026, 19:12gov.ukUnited Kingdom

US FERC Seeks Comment On PE Hydro Application To Amend Operations Compliance Monitoring Plan And West Virginia Water Quality Certification For Millville Hydroelectric Project (P-2343-105)

US FERC has accepted for filing PE Hydro Generation’s application to amend the Millville Hydroelectric Project’s operations compliance monitoring plan and modify West Virginia’s water quality certification to allow short, mutually agreed deviations from minimum flows for dam safety inspections, with comments due by 21 May 2026. If approved, the changes would streamline reporting and approvals for brief planned outages while preserving oversight of longer deviations, so hydropower operators and stakeholders should assess whether this revised deviation and reporting framework affects local water-quality risk and participation in the FERC process.

10 May 2026, 18:56public-inspection.federalregister.govUnited States

EU Commission Confirms Targeted Review of Water Framework Directive Following Call for Evidence

The European Commission has confirmed, in an 8 May 2026 answer to the European Parliament, that it will carry out a targeted review and revision of the EU Water Framework Directive following a March–April call for evidence focused on water legislation and critical raw materials permitting. This signals potential future adjustments to Water Framework Directive-based permitting and environmental quality requirements for critical raw material projects, so EU operators and authorities in the critical raw materials value chain should closely monitor the review for upcoming compliance impacts.

9 May 2026, 19:08europarl.europa.euEuropean Union

Environment Agency Launches Refresh of National FCERM Strategy for England

The Environment Agency has begun a statutory refresh of the National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England, using early 2026 stakeholder feedback and a planned autumn 2026 public consultation to inform a revised strategy in 2027. This process will shape future flood and coastal risk policy, funding and resilience expectations for local authorities, utilities, infrastructure operators and land managers across England, so organisations exposed to UK flood risk should track the emerging objectives and measures.

9 May 2026, 18:47engageenvironmentagency.uk.engagementhq.comUnited Kingdom

California AB 2787 Water, Parks and Wildlife Omnibus Bill Passes Assembly and Moves to Senate

In May 2026, California’s AB 2787 water, parks and wildlife omnibus bill passed the Assembly and moved to the Senate, advancing a package of habitat contracting, invasive-species fee and groundwater management changes. If enacted, it will tighten seasonal limits on vegetation management on enrolled nesting habitat, formalise invasive mussel fee tiers and exemptions, and fix long-term groundwater basin review cycles that water agencies, landowners and recreational boating interests need to build into planning.

9 May 2026, 14:20leginfo.legislature.ca.govUnited States

California Water Board Seeks Technical Comments on Draft Shasta River Groundwater–Surface Water Model

In May 2026 the California State Water Resources Control Board released a draft groundwater–surface water model and technical report for the Shasta River watershed and opened a technical public comment period through 12 June 2026. These modelling tools will underpin future minimum instream flow requirements and drought regulations in the basin, so major water users and water-right holders should review the assumptions and scenarios now to anticipate potential long-term constraints on diversions and operational flexibility.

9 May 2026, 14:18waterboards.ca.govUnited States

Vermont Governor Vetoes Chloride Contamination Reduction Bill S.218

In May 2026, the Vermont governor vetoed S.218, a bill that would have created a chloride contamination reduction programme for state waters built around best-practice training and voluntary certification for road-salt applicators. This veto pauses the emergence of a new statewide framework for chloride management and related liability protections, so companies and municipalities should continue to rely on existing water-quality and de-icing rules while watching for any override attempt or successor legislation.

9 May 2026, 14:13legislature.vermont.govUnited States

Florida Enacts Data Center Tariff and Water-Use Law for Large-Load Customers (SB 484, 2026)

Florida has enacted SB 484 (Data Centers), creating new tariff rules, planning controls, and water-use permitting standards for large-load electricity customers and large-scale data centres, with most provisions effective from July 2026. Data centre developers and utilities in Florida will need to reassess site selection, reclaimed water availability, and cost-of-service structures, as non-compliant projects may face permitting barriers, tariff surcharges, or curtailment priorities that materially affect project economics and timelines.

9 May 2026, 14:12flsenate.govUnited States

California State Water Board Issues NOA for Oroville 13.8 kV Transmission Line and Fiber Optic Cable Replacement Project

California’s State Water Resources Control Board has issued a project-specific Notice of Applicability under its 2026 Nationwide Permits General Order for DWR’s Oroville 13.8 kV transmission and fibre-optic replacement works, formally authorising limited dredge-and-fill discharges as of May 2026. This secures regulatory coverage for critical repairs to Oroville Dam-related power and communications infrastructure while imposing detailed construction, water-quality and reporting conditions that DWR and contractors must integrate into project planning and execution.

9 May 2026, 14:10waterboards.ca.govUnited States

Louisiana HB 1209 Moves to Senate Committee on Surface Water Withdrawal Agreements

Louisiana’s HB 1209, now before the Senate Natural Resources Committee, would phase out new state surface-water withdrawal agreements, cap fees, and tighten conditions on existing contracts between 2026 and 2036. This would constrain long-term access to state-managed surface waters while directing fee revenues and new reporting duties toward statewide invasive aquatic vegetation control and water-resource planning.

9 May 2026, 14:09legis.la.govUnited States

Michigan SB 951 Proposes Licensing and Royalties for Bottled Water Withdrawals

Michigan has introduced Senate Bill 951 to create a new licensing and twenty-five-cent-per-gallon royalty regime for bottled drinking water withdrawals, with obligations starting from 1 January 2027 if the bill and its companion measure are enacted. If passed, this would materially increase compliance costs and scrutiny for bottled water operations in Michigan while signalling a broader policy shift toward monetising large-scale water extraction and protecting public trust water resources.

9 May 2026, 13:44legislature.mi.govUnited States

France Administrative Court Annuls Unmotivated Drought Water-Use Derogation for Boat Washing in Argelès-sur-Mer

In May 2026, France's Montpellier administrative court annulled an unmotivated derogation that had allowed boat washing during 2023 drought restrictions in Argelès-sur-Mer, following a case brought by FNE OCMED. The ruling raises the bar for all future drought-related water-use exemptions by signalling that prefectural derogations, including those relied on by ports and industrial users, must be explicitly justified and tightly limited in scope, duration and volume to withstand legal challenge.

9 May 2026, 13:29lgrcivi.fne-apne.netFrance

Virginia Enacts Wetlands and Flood Resilience Laws (HB 237, HB 521, HB 390, HB 1266, HB 70)

Virginia has enacted a package of 2026 laws strengthening wetlands protection, coastal flood resilience and environmental justice outreach, including requirements to map marsh migration corridors, offset tidal wetlands loss and prioritise nature-based resilience funding for low-income communities. These measures will push developers, localities and state agencies in coastal Virginia to factor sea-level rise, cumulative environmental impacts and nature-based mitigation into permitting and investment decisions, as funding and oversight increasingly favour projects that protect wetlands and vulnerable communities.

9 May 2026, 13:26lis.virginia.govUnited States