Electronic Annual Report (eAR) for California Water Systems: Deadline, Sections and Tips

Short answer: The Electronic Annual Report (eAR) is the State Water Board’s yearly survey of every public water system in California. Under the Board’s Technical Reporting Order, each system must complete and submit the eAR for the prior reporting year through the eAR Portal no later than 60 calendar days after the Division of Drinking Water (DDW) announces that the 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.

The eAR looks like a form. In practice it is a long questionnaire whose answers sit with different people: your operator, your billing clerk, your bookkeeper, your backflow program coordinator. Sixty days is enough time only if you know in advance who holds each answer.

Who has to file the eAR

All public water systems. The State Water Board issued Order Requiring Online Technical Reporting DDW_HQ_2024_001 to every public water system on January 1, 2024, and amended it in January 2025. The amended directive reads that all public water systems “shall complete and submit the eAR for the prior reporting year” through the eAR Portal.

That includes community water systems, mutual water companies, schools, and other noncommunity systems. Water Code section 10609.61 adds a specific duty for small water suppliers and nontransient noncommunity systems that are schools: they report water supply condition information through the eAR system or another tool the Board directs.

The deadline: 60 days from the notice

There is no fixed calendar date in the order. The clock starts when DDW sends its notice that the portal is open, and you have 60 calendar days from then.

DDW’s eAR FAQ says notifications are emailed to the Administrative Contact and Water Quality Contacts listed for your system in SDWIS, and to people registered for eAR updates. Two practical points follow:

• Keep your contacts current. If the notice goes to someone who left, you lose days before anyone notices. Section 2 of the eAR is where you update those contacts for next year.
• Register for WBKey first. WBKey is the State Water Board’s multi-factor sign-in, and the eAR page lists it as the way reporters now access the portal. Set it up for every reporter before the window opens.

What each section asks

The eAR has 18 numbered sections plus a final acknowledgment step. Here is what each one collects, according to the State Water Board’s eAR page.

Section	What it collects
1. Introduction	System number, name, classification, ownership, location; disadvantaged community fee reduction request
2. Contacts	Names and contact details for each point-of-contact type
3. Population	Population served and annual operating period
4. Connections	Service connections by type and metering status
5. Sources	Source counts or lists, standby sources, interties, source metering
6. Water supplied and delivered	Removed from the eAR; now reported in the SAFER Clearinghouse
7. Recycled water	Use sites, coordinator, pressure tests, on-site supervision
8a. Customer charges	Residential and non-residential rates and fees
8b. Income	Annual revenues and expenses
8c. Water affordability	Customer assistance programs
9. Water quality	Bacteriological sample siting plan, emergency notification and disinfection plans, watershed sanitary survey, CCR status
10. Backflow	Backflow assembly testing and survey status; cross-connection control coordinator
11. Operator certification	Distribution and treatment operator compliance, certificate numbers and expirations
12. Improvements	Treatment or distribution improvements completed or planned
13. Complaints	Customer complaints received and investigated, by type
14. Treatment	Treatment plants, processes, operations plans, contaminants removed
15. Distribution	System problems, pipe materials, flushing, valve exercising, tank inspections
16. Emergency	Auxiliary power, emergency response plans, interest in partnerships or consolidation
17. Conservation	Water shortage contingency planning and conservation information
18. Climate change	Climate threats, impacts and adaptation measures

Section 6 moved to the SAFER Clearinghouse

Water supplied and delivered data is no longer entered in the eAR. The State Water Board moved it to the SAFER Clearinghouse, and the data is still required under the Technical Reporting Order. If your system does not have a Clearinghouse account yet, create one before the eAR window, so both filings can be finished together. The Clearinghouse also carries the Annual Inventory Report due by March 31 and the quarterly Drought and Conservation Reports; SAFER Clearinghouse reporting explained covers each one.

Why the eAR matters beyond the form

DDW field staff and county local primacy agencies use the eAR in sanitary surveys, and the State Water Board uses its data for the SAFER program’s risk indicators and needs assessment. DDW’s FAQ also notes that reviewers look at changes in population, connections and source status, and at the four-year average of water production used for fee billing. A careless answer can lead to follow-up questions or affect your fees.

The eAR also has to agree with your other records. Section 9 asks for your Consumer Confidence Report status, Section 10 asks about your backflow program, and Section 11 lists your certified operators. If the eAR says one thing and your CCR or backflow records say another, a reviewer will notice.

A preparation checklist

Before the portal opens:

1. Confirm the Administrative and Water Quality Contacts for your system in SDWIS are correct.
2. Register every reporter for WBKey.
3. Pull last year’s submitted eAR as a starting point. DDW’s portal lets you view and print submitted reports.
4. Collect population and connection counts by type, and a current source list.
5. Get the rate schedule, annual revenue and expense totals from whoever keeps the books.
6. Gather the dates of your sample siting plan, emergency notification and disinfection plans, sanitary survey, and CCR.
7. Get backflow testing and survey totals from your cross-connection control coordinator.
8. List operators with certificate numbers and expiration dates.
9. Note any improvements, complaints, flushing and valve exercising, and tank inspections for the year.

Once the notice arrives, enter the sections, clear the portal’s error report, and submit well before day 60.

Free help for small systems

The State Water Board offers eAR technical assistance through its Division of Financial Assistance. Community water systems and nonprofit nontransient noncommunity systems are eligible, with priority for community water systems serving fewer than 10,000 people and disadvantaged communities. Applications have a deadline each cycle, so check the eAR page early.

Frequently asked questions

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 reporting year 2026 eAR is expected to open in early 2027.

Who has to file an eAR in California? All public water systems, under the State Water Board’s Technical Reporting Order DDW_HQ_2024_001, issued January 1, 2024 and amended in January 2025.

What is WBKey? WBKey is the State Water Board’s multi-factor authentication sign-in, used to access the eAR Portal. Register each reporter before the filing window opens.

Where do I report water supplied and delivered? In the SAFER Clearinghouse. That section was removed from the eAR, but the data is still required under the Technical Reporting Order.

Does the eAR include the CCR? Section 9 asks for your Consumer Confidence Report status, and the eAR portal is where you upload your CCR or CCR certification.

Can someone prepare the eAR for us? Yes. Many systems have a consultant or contract operator prepare the eAR from their records, with the system reviewing it before submittal. Exodus prepares and submits eARs for California water systems of any size.

Last reviewed: November 5, 2026.

Sources

• State Water Board, Electronic Annual Report (eAR)
• State Water Board, Technical Reporting Order amendment, January 2025 (PDF)
• State Water Board, eAR Frequently Asked Questions, February 2026 (PDF)

Need the eAR handled this year? See eAR preparation services, call (805) 991-7333, or request a compliance review.