# SAFER Clearinghouse Reporting: Deadlines & Reports

> What California water systems file in the SAFER Clearinghouse: the Annual Inventory Report, quarterly and monthly drought reports, and every deadline.

Source: https://www.exoduswater.com/post/safer-clearinghouse-reporting-california

November 5, 2026Exodus Water Services 

# SAFER Clearinghouse Reporting for California Water Systems: Annual Inventory, Drought and Conservation Reports

What California water systems file in the SAFER Clearinghouse: the Annual Inventory Report, quarterly and monthly drought reports, and every deadline.

**Short answer:** The SAFER Clearinghouse is the State Water Board’s online platform for drinking water reports that sit alongside the Electronic Annual Report (eAR). Under the Board’s Technical Reporting Order (DDW\_HQ\_2024\_001), **every public water system files an Annual Inventory Report there by March 31** . **Community water systems and schools file Drought and Conservation Reports each quarter.** **Urban retail water suppliers file a monthly report.** The supply and demand data that used to be Section 6 of the eAR now lives in the Clearinghouse.

Most of the confusion comes from that split. The eAR is filed in the eAR Portal, but several of the numbers the state used to collect there are now reported in the Clearinghouse, on a different schedule.

## What the SAFER Clearinghouse is

The State Water Board built the SAFER Clearinghouse with the California Public Utilities Commission to collect drought and conservation data from public drinking water systems in one place. Reporters log in at the SAFER Clearinghouse site, request an account if they do not have one, and sign in with WBKey, the Board’s multi-factor sign-in.

The legal basis is the State Water Board’s Order Requiring Online Technical Reporting, issued to all public water systems on January 1, 2024 and amended effective January 1, 2025.

## The reports and their deadlines

| Report                                                 | Who files                                                                                          | Deadline                                            |
| ------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
| Annual Inventory Report (AIR)                          | All public water systems                                                                           | By March 31 each year                               |
| Drought and Conservation Report (three months of data) | Community water systems and nontransient noncommunity schools, except urban retail water suppliers | By the end of the month after each calendar quarter |
| Urban Drought and Conservation Report                  | Urban retail water suppliers                                                                       | By the end of every month, for the prior month      |
| Monthly Potential Water Outage Report                  | Systems the Division of Drinking Water notifies that they are at risk of an outage                 | By the 7th of every month, for the prior month      |

The quarterly deadline works out to April 30, July 31, October 31 and January 31\. The first quarterly reports under the order were due April 30, 2024, covering January through March 2024.

## What each report covers

**Annual Inventory Report.** The order describes it as covering drinking water source and facility inventories, drinking water flow paths, and annual drinking water supply and demand.

**Drought and Conservation Report.** According to the order and the Clearinghouse page, it collects:

- **water shortage status** for each of the three months, including whether the system is experiencing or about to experience a severe shortage, and information about its Water Shortage Contingency Plan;
- **source reporting** , meaning monthly production volumes from each source and its current capacity; and
- **supply and demand** , meaning total monthly potable and non-potable production and deliveries, broken down by source water type and customer class.

Noncommunity systems report supply and demand annually only.

**Urban Drought and Conservation Report.** Urban retail water suppliers report the data required by section 991 of Title 23 of the California Code of Regulations for the prior month.

**Monthly Potential Water Outage Report.** Systems that receive the notice report their sources, demand, forecast shortages, and demand reduction and supply augmentation efforts. Systems the Board or a Local Primacy Agency identifies as having a severe shortage may also have to report weekly under a drought order.

## How the Clearinghouse connects to the eAR

The two systems used to overlap. Section 6 of the eAR, water supplied and delivered, has been removed from the eAR and relocated to the SAFER Clearinghouse, and the State Water Board notes that the data is still required under the Technical Reporting Order.

In practice, a small community water system now has a reporting year that looks like this:

1. **Early in the year:** the eAR Portal opens for the year just ended, and the eAR is due 60 days after the Division’s notice.
2. **By March 31:** the Annual Inventory Report in the SAFER Clearinghouse.
3. **By April 30, July 31, October 31 and January 31:** the quarterly Drought and Conservation Report.

Urban retail water suppliers replace the quarterly report with the monthly one, and they also have their own deadlines such as the January 1 [water loss audit](https://www.exoduswater.com/water-loss-audit) .

## Who can file these reports for you

Many small systems hand these reports to a consultant or contract operator. Exodus prepares and files SAFER Clearinghouse reports for California water systems: the Annual Inventory Report, the quarterly or monthly Drought and Conservation Reports, and the eAR that runs alongside them. We use one set of production and billing records for all of them, so the numbers agree.

## Getting set up

- **Request a Clearinghouse account** for each person who will report. The Board publishes a quick reference guide for requesting access.
- **Register for WBKey.** The Clearinghouse and the eAR Portal both use it.
- **Keep one production spreadsheet.** Monthly source meter readings feed the quarterly report, the Annual Inventory Report and the eAR, so record them once in a format all three can use.

## Frequently asked questions

**What is the SAFER Clearinghouse?**It is the State Water Board’s online reporting platform for drought and conservation data from public drinking water systems, developed with the California Public Utilities Commission. Systems file the Annual Inventory Report and their Drought and Conservation Reports there.

**Who has to report in the SAFER Clearinghouse?**All public water systems file the Annual Inventory Report. Community water systems and nontransient noncommunity schools file quarterly Drought and Conservation Reports, and urban retail water suppliers file monthly reports instead.

**When are SAFER Clearinghouse reports due?**The Annual Inventory Report is due by March 31\. Quarterly Drought and Conservation Reports are due by the end of the month after each quarter. Urban retail water suppliers report by the end of every month.

**Is the SAFER Clearinghouse the same as the eAR?**No. The eAR is filed in the separate eAR Portal. The SAFER Clearinghouse took over the water supplied and delivered data that used to be Section 6 of the eAR.

**Can someone file SAFER Clearinghouse reports for us?**Yes. Exodus prepares and files the Annual Inventory Report and the Drought and Conservation Reports for California water systems, together with the eAR.

**How do I get a SAFER Clearinghouse account?**Request access through the SAFER Clearinghouse registration page, using the State Water Board’s quick reference guide, and sign in with WBKey.

Last reviewed: November 5, 2026.

## Sources

- State Water Board, [Drought and Conservation Reporting (SAFER Clearinghouse)](https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/drinking%5Fwater/certlic/drinkingwater/clearinghouse%5Fdrought%5Fconservation%5Freporting.html)
- State Water Board, [Order Requiring Online Technical Reporting DDW\_HQ\_2024\_001, January 2024 (PDF)](https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/drought/resources-for-drinking-water-systems/docs/ddw-technical-order.pdf) : Directives 1 to 5
- State Water Board, [Technical Reporting Order amendment, January 2025 (PDF)](https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/drinking%5Fwater/certlic/drinkingwater/docs/2025/ddw-technical-order.pdf)
- State Water Board, [Electronic Annual Report (eAR)](https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/drinking%5Fwater/certlic/drinkingwater/ear.html)

Want your SAFER Clearinghouse reports and eAR handled this year? See [eAR and SAFER reporting services](https://www.exoduswater.com/electronic-annual-report) , call (805) 991-7333, or [request a compliance review](https://www.exoduswater.com/contact-us?service=title22) .

## How Exodus can help

- Related service [eAR and state reporting services ](https://www.exoduswater.com/electronic-annual-report)
- Free tool [Compliance Deadline Checker ](https://www.exoduswater.com/tools#deadline-checker)

[Request a Compliance Review](https://www.exoduswater.com/contact-us?service=title22) [(805) 991-7333](tel:+18059917333) 

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