Cal. Wat. Code § 475
The Legislature hereby finds and declares that voluntary water transfers between water users can result in a more efficient use of water, benefiting both the buyer and the seller.
The Legislature further finds and declares that transfers of surplus water on an intermittent basis can help alleviate water shortages, save capital outlay development costs, and conserve water and energy.
The Legislature further finds and declares that it is in the public interest to conserve all available water resources, and that this interest requires the coordinated assistance of state agencies for voluntary water transfers to allow more intensive use of developed water resources in a manner that fully protects the interests of other entities which have rights to, or rely on, the water covered by a proposed transfer.
Ca. Water Code § 475