California DWR Contact Directory, State Water Offices, Flood Help and Program Resources
If you are searching for the California Water Department, the official state agency is the California Department of Water Resources, often called DWR. This guide shows how to find the right DWR office, phone number, email, directory page, flood contact, dam safety contact, public affairs office, grant contact, groundwater resource and current water conditions link without confusing it with a local city water department.
California Department of Water Resources searches are often mixed with local water bill, city water department, drought, dam safety, flood, grant, groundwater and public notice searches. DWR is a statewide agency, so the correct contact depends on your issue.
If your question is about a local water bill, shutoff, leak at your home, meter reading or service start/stop, your local water provider is usually the right contact. If your question is about statewide water data, DWR programs, flood management, dam safety, drought information, groundwater, public notices or state water planning, start with official DWR pages.
☎️ Main California DWR contact
Use this for: general DWR contact direction, main Sacramento headquarters information, public affairs routing and statewide agency questions.
Before contacting: decide whether your problem is statewide DWR-related or local water-provider related. DWR usually does not handle individual city water bills.
Safe action: use official water.ca.gov pages for DWR contacts and directory information.
California Department of Water Resources Quick Directory Facts
The California Department of Water Resources is a statewide agency that manages and supports California’s water resources, water data, flood management, dam safety, groundwater, drought information, environmental programs and State Water Project-related work.
The official DWR Executive Team page lists the main phone as 916-653-5791, street address as 715 P Street, Sacramento, CA 95814, and mailing address as P.O. Box 942836, Sacramento, CA 94236-0001.
What This California DWR Directory Guide Covers
California Department of Water Resources Main Phone, Address and Mailing Details
The main DWR contact is useful when you do not yet know which program office handles your question. For faster routing, explain your topic clearly: flood, dam safety, groundwater, drought, State Water Project, public notice, media, legal, grant, HR or current water data.
| Contact type | Official detail | Best use |
|---|---|---|
| Main phone | 916-653-5791 | General DWR headquarters direction and statewide department contact. |
| Street address | California Department of Water Resources, 715 P Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 | Headquarters address reference and official state agency location. |
| Mailing address | California Department of Water Resources, P.O. Box 942836, Sacramento, CA 94236-0001 | Mailing correspondence where a specific division has not provided another mailing route. |
| Public Affairs | 916-653-1074, media@water.ca.gov | Media, organization and public information inquiries. |
Start with the official contact page
Open the official DWR Contact page before using third-party directories.
Identify your topic first
Write down whether your issue is flood, dam safety, media, groundwater, grants, drought, public notice, legal service, current conditions or local water billing.
Use the directory if it is program-specific
If your question is specialized, use the official DWR Directory instead of calling the general number.
How to Use the Official DWR Directory Without Getting Lost
The DWR Directory is the best place for program-specific contacts. It includes contacts for areas such as grants and loans, human resources, hydropower licensing, program offices and other department contacts.
For best results, do not search only for “California water department phone number.” Instead, search the directory by topic: grants, dam safety, hydropower, groundwater, flood operations, current conditions, HR, legal, public notices or regional water programs.
Look for grants and loans or GRanTS system contacts.
Use Human Resources contacts for employment or personnel questions.
Use hydropower licensing contacts for SWP power licensing issues.
Use Flood Management for incident, forecast and operation resources.
Use DSOD contacts for dam safety and dam owner correspondence.
Use Current Conditions, Water Watch and CDEC for water data.
DWR Public Affairs, News Releases and Media Contacts
DWR’s Public Affairs Office is the main contact for media, organizations and members of the public seeking information about department programs. The official contact page lists 916-653-1074 and media@water.ca.gov.
If your question is about a news release, public statement, current conditions explanation, event, report, interview request or public information, Public Affairs is usually a better starting point than a technical program office.
Check news releases first
Open DWR News Releases to see whether the topic has already been explained publicly.
Check public notices if it is a formal process
Open DWR Public Notices for comment periods, draft guidelines and official notices.
Contact Public Affairs for clarification
Email media@water.ca.gov or call 916-653-1074 for media or public information questions.
California DWR Flood Management Contacts and Emergency Routing
DWR’s Flood Management page lists flood incident reporting at 916-574-2619 and a flood information line at 800-952-5530 for river forecasts, general water conditions and flood information.
For immediate life-safety emergencies, call 911 first. For flood incident reporting, river forecast information and DWR flood operations information, use the official flood resources.
Flood incident
Report flood incidents using the official DWR flood incident contact where appropriate.
916-574-2619Forecast info
Use the flood information line for river forecasts, general water conditions and flood information.
800-952-5530Protect life first
If flooding threatens people, vehicles or structures, call 911 and follow local emergency instructions.
Use DWR flood contacts for state-level information
Open DWR Flood Management for official flood resources, contacts and program information.
Track conditions with official data
Use DWR Current Conditions, California Water Watch and CDEC for water condition data.
California Division of Safety of Dams Contacts
The Division of Safety of Dams, often called DSOD, is the DWR division connected with California dam safety regulation. DSOD lists general information at 916-565-7868 and damsafety@water.ca.gov.
For emergencies, DSOD’s contact page says to call 911 immediately. During normal business hours, it lists 916-565-7800. If DSOD cannot be reached, it refers users to the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services at 916-845-8911.
| Need | Official contact | Best action |
|---|---|---|
| General dam safety information | 916-565-7868, damsafety@water.ca.gov | Use for non-emergency DSOD questions. |
| Dam emergency | 911 immediately | Use for urgent life-safety or dam incident emergencies. |
| Normal business-hour emergency DSOD contact | 916-565-7800 | Use only as directed by official DSOD instructions. |
| If DSOD cannot be reached | Governor’s Office of Emergency Services: 916-845-8911 | Use if official DSOD guidance says DSOD cannot be reached. |
Current California Water Conditions, Water Watch and CDEC
DWR’s Current Conditions page directs users to California Water Watch for current local and statewide water conditions. It also points users to CDEC for precipitation and surface water information.
Use these resources when you need statewide water context, drought indicators, precipitation data, reservoir-related information, watershed conditions or regional water condition dashboards.
Open DWR Current Conditions
Start with DWR Current Conditions for the official gateway.
Use California Water Watch
Open California Water Watch for current local and statewide water conditions.
Use CDEC for detailed data
Use CDEC for detailed precipitation, surface water and hydrologic data.
DWR Public Notices, Draft Guidelines and Comment Periods
DWR’s Public Notices page is where users can find formal notices, draft guidelines, proposal solicitation documents, public comment periods and program updates.
This is different from a news release. A public notice may carry deadlines, document links, comment instructions, workshop details or eligibility information. If you are a local agency, consultant, grantee or stakeholder, always check the full notice before contacting DWR.
Open DWR Public Notices
Use the official DWR Public Notices page.
Check the deadline
Look for public comment close dates, proposal deadlines, workshop dates or submission windows.
Open linked documents
Download draft guidelines, solicitation files or notice attachments from the official page only.
DWR Divisions and Offices: How to Choose the Right State Water Program
DWR has many divisions and offices. The Divisions & Offices page is useful when you know the broad topic but not the exact contact. Examples include Bay-Delta, Business Services, energy scheduling, flood, groundwater, State Water Project and statewide planning-related functions.
Use for: flood planning, flood operations, incident information and flood management programs.
Use for: groundwater management, wells, SGMA-related information and groundwater reports.
Use for: drought information, water shortage resources and water resilience context.
Use for: SWP-related facilities, operations and program information.
Use for: DSOD dam safety oversight and dam owner contacts.
Use for: news, media, public statements and general information requests.
Open Divisions & Offices
Use DWR Divisions & Offices to understand which office matches your topic.
Then open the directory
After choosing the topic, open the official DWR Directory to find more specific contact details.
California DWR Grants and Loans Contacts
The DWR Directory lists grants and loans contact information. For grants and loans, DWR lists Funding@water.ca.gov. For Grants Review and Tracking System issues, it lists GRanTSadmin@water.ca.gov and 888-907-4267.
Before emailing, identify the exact grant program, solicitation, proposal number, applicant agency, deadline and issue. This makes the message more useful than a broad “I need funding information” request.
Find the program notice
Open DWR Public Notices or the relevant program page to locate the funding opportunity.
Use the directory contact
Open DWR Directory and use the listed grants or GRanTS contact for your issue.
Include specific details
Include grant name, applicant, project title, deadline, question, screenshots if the issue is technical, and your callback details.
DWR vs Local Water Department: Who Should You Contact?
Many people search “California Water Department” when they actually need their local city water department. DWR is not usually the place for individual water bills, private property meter issues, local water shutoff, local service start/stop or city utility rates.
| Your issue | Best contact | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Pay water bill | Local city, county, utility or water district | DWR does not run most local retail customer billing. |
| Start or stop home water service | Local water provider | Retail service is handled locally. |
| Statewide water conditions | DWR Current Conditions, Water Watch, CDEC | DWR provides statewide water data and resources. |
| Dam safety question | DWR Division of Safety of Dams | DSOD is the state dam safety office. |
| Flood incident information | Local emergency services first, then DWR Flood Management as appropriate | Immediate safety is local/emergency; DWR supports state-level flood resources. |
| DWR grant or public notice | DWR program contact or directory | State program notices and funding opportunities are DWR-related. |
DWR Legal Service of Process Contact
DWR has a dedicated legal service of process page. For California superior court cases, DWR explains its electronic service process and lists DWRLegalService@water.ca.gov for submitting service-related documents under the official instructions.
Legal service is very specific. Do not send ordinary customer complaints, media requests, grant questions or local water bill problems to the legal service email.
Open the legal service page
Use DWR Legal Service of Process for current instructions.
Follow document instructions exactly
Only send the required legal documents and notices described by the official page.
Do not use this email for general questions
Use DWR Contact or Directory pages for ordinary program, public information or customer questions.
California Department of Water Resources Sacramento Office Map
DWR’s listed headquarters street address is 715 P Street, Sacramento, CA 95814. Before visiting, confirm whether the office or program you need accepts walk-ins, appointments, document delivery or public counter service.
California Department of Water Resources Headquarters
Use this map for general headquarters location reference. For program-specific needs, contact the proper office before visiting.
Official California DWR Directory, Contact and Water Resource Links
Use these official resources for California Department of Water Resources contacts, notices, current conditions, flood management, dam safety, state water programs and public information.
DWR Home
Main California Department of Water Resources website for statewide water programs and resources.
Open DWR HomeDWR Directory
Program-level contacts for DWR offices, grants, HR, hydropower and more.
Open DirectoryNews Releases
Official DWR news, reports, events, advisories and updates.
Open News ReleasesPublic Notices
Draft guidelines, public comment periods, proposal notices and formal program notices.
Open Public NoticesCurrent Conditions
Gateway for current water conditions, California Water Watch and CDEC.
Open ConditionsFlood Management
Flood management contacts, river forecast information and flood operations resources.
Open Flood ManagementDam Safety Contacts
Division of Safety of Dams general information and emergency instructions.
Open DSOD ContactsCalifornia Department of Water Resources FAQs
What is the California Department of Water Resources phone number?
The official DWR Executive Team page lists the main phone number as 916-653-5791.
Where is the California Department of Water Resources located?
DWR lists its street address as 715 P Street, Sacramento, CA 95814. Its mailing address is P.O. Box 942836, Sacramento, CA 94236-0001.
How do I contact DWR Public Affairs?
DWR Public Affairs can be reached at 916-653-1074 or media@water.ca.gov for news media, organization and public information inquiries.
Where is the official California DWR directory?
The official DWR Directory is available at water.ca.gov/Contact/Directory.
Who do I contact for California dam safety questions?
For general dam safety information, DSOD lists 916-565-7868 and damsafety@water.ca.gov. For emergencies, call 911 immediately and follow the official DSOD emergency instructions.
How do I report a California flood incident to DWR?
DWR Flood Management lists flood incident reporting at 916-574-2619 and flood or river forecast information at 800-952-5530.
Where can I check current California water conditions?
Use DWR Current Conditions, California Water Watch and CDEC.
Is DWR the same as my city water department?
No. DWR is the statewide California Department of Water Resources. Your city, county or local water district usually handles water bills, local leaks, meter service and account changes.
Where can I find DWR public notices?
Use the official DWR Public Notices page for draft guidelines, comment periods, proposal notices and formal department notices.
Where can I find DWR news releases?
Use the official DWR News Releases page for DWR updates, reports, advisories and public announcements.
Best Way to Find the Right California DWR Contact in 2026
Start with the official DWR Contact page if your question is general. Use the official DWR Directory if your question is program-specific. Use DSOD contacts for dam safety, Flood Management contacts for flood resources, Public Affairs for media or public information, and Current Conditions for water data.
If your issue is local water service, such as paying a bill, fixing a meter issue, reporting a local leak, changing service or asking about rates, contact your local water utility instead of DWR. This simple routing step saves time and helps you reach the office that can actually solve the problem.