Section 1
Introduction
System details, location, and any disadvantaged community fee reduction request.
Drinking water reporting
Electronic Annual Report (eAR) Preparation for California Water Systems
We prepare and submit your eAR, all 18 sections, from your operators', billing and finance records, and check it against your CCR and backflow program.
Reporting year 2026 eAR: Expected early 2027, 60 days to file
Built to California's frameworks
- Title 22 §60301.175: CCCPH
- Title 22: Drinking Water Standards
- SB 555 · AWWA M36
- DDW & DWR Submittals
Certifications & Registrations
The eAR at a glance
What the Electronic Annual Report requires
The rules set by the State Water Board's Technical Reporting Order and eAR program page.
| Requirement | What it means for your system |
|---|---|
| Who files | Every public water system, under the State Water Board’s Technical Reporting Order DDW_HQ_2024_001 |
| What it covers | The prior reporting year (calendar year): population, connections, sources, rates and finances, water quality plans, backflow, operators, and more |
| Deadline | No later than 60 calendar days after the Division of Drinking Water announces the eAR Portal is open |
| Where | The eAR Portal at ear.waterboards.ca.gov, with WBKey multi-factor sign-in |
| Related filings | Water supplied and delivered data now goes to the SAFER Clearinghouse; your CCR or CCR certification is uploaded in Section 9 |
Sixty days goes quickly when the answers sit with your operator, your billing clerk and your bookkeeper. The full walkthrough: the eAR explained, section by section.
What it asks
The 18 sections of the eAR
The eAR reaches into almost every part of a water system, which is why it is easy to underestimate.
Section 2–4
Contacts, population, connections
Points of contact, population and operating period, and service connections by type and metering.
Section 5
Sources
Source counts or lists, standby sources, interties, and source metering.
Section 7
Recycled water
Use sites, coordinator, and pressure tests.
Section 8a–8c
Charges, income, affordability
Rates and fees, annual revenue and expenses, and customer assistance programs.
Section 9
Water quality
Sample siting, emergency notification and disinfection plans, sanitary surveys, and CCR status.
Section 10
Backflow
Backflow assembly testing and surveys, and your cross-connection control coordinator.
Section 11
Operator certification
Distribution and treatment operator compliance, with certificate numbers and expirations.
Section 12–15
Improvements to distribution
Improvements, complaints, treatment plants, flushing, valve exercising, and tank inspections.
Section 16–18
Emergency, conservation, climate
Auxiliary power, emergency response plans, shortage planning, and climate threats.
How we help
eAR preparation and submittal, done for you
Exodus collects the figures from the people who hold them, prepares each section, and checks it for consistency with your monitoring data, your Consumer Confidence Report, your backflow testing records and your operator certifications. You review the draft, we resolve anything the portal flags, and the report is submitted inside the 60-day window.
- We confirm your system, reporters and WBKey access
- We gather records from operators, billing and finance
- We prepare every section and cross-check it
- You review; we fix anything flagged
- Submitted in the portal within the 60-day window
FAQ
Questions about the eAR
What is the Electronic Annual Report (eAR)?
The eAR is the State Water Board’s annual survey of public water systems, run by the Division of Drinking Water. It collects contact and inventory information, compliance status, and financial information the state uses for sanitary surveys, the SAFER program, and other drinking water work.
Who has to file an eAR?
All public water systems. The State Water Board’s Technical Reporting Order, issued January 1, 2024 and amended in January 2025, directs every public water system to complete and submit the eAR for the prior reporting year through the eAR Portal.
When is the eAR due?
No later than 60 calendar days after the Division of Drinking Water notifies public water systems that the eAR Portal is open. The report for the year just ended is released early the following year, so the reporting year 2026 eAR is expected in early 2027. Plan to finish well inside the 60 days.
How will we know the eAR is open?
The State Water Board emails the notice to the Administrative Contact and Water Quality Contacts on file for your system in SDWIS, and to people registered for eAR updates. Keep those contacts current, because the 60 days start when the notice goes out.
What is WBKey and do I need it for the eAR?
WBKey is the State Water Board’s multi-factor authentication sign-in. The eAR page lists it as the way reporters now access the portal, so register each reporter before the filing window opens.
Where did Section 6, water supplied and delivered, go?
It was removed from the eAR and moved to the SAFER Clearinghouse. The data is still required under the Technical Reporting Order, so systems report it there with a Clearinghouse account.
How does the eAR connect to the CCR and backflow program?
Section 9 asks for the status of your Consumer Confidence Report and other plans, and Section 10 asks for backflow assembly testing and survey status and your cross-connection control coordinator. Exodus checks those answers against your CCR and backflow records so the eAR matches them.
Can small systems get free help with the eAR?
The State Water Board offers eAR technical assistance through its Division of Financial Assistance, prioritizing community water systems serving fewer than 10,000 people and disadvantaged communities. Applications have a deadline each cycle, so check the eAR page early. Exodus also prepares the eAR for systems of any size.
Sources (checked November 5, 2026):State Water Board, Electronic Annual Report (eAR); Technical Reporting Order amendment (January 2025); eAR Frequently Asked Questions (February 2026).
Get your eAR off your plate this year
Tell us your system number and who handled last year's report. We will line up the records before the portal opens.