Cal. Wat. Code § 1226
The Legislature finds and declares that it is necessary and beneficial to the state to clear up many heretofore uncertain conditions of water rights which are the result of a large number of dams and other water impoundment structures which have been constructed for livestock watering use, including domestic and recreational use which is incidental to livestock use; that these structures have been constructed, many at the urging of local, state and federal government, as a matter of practical necessity by the owners or users of the land on which they exist; that these structures have been built without clearly defined water rights as a result of the uncertainty of the state law and the lack of information by the owners as to proper procedures by which to obtain a water right; and that it is in the interest of the state to clarify the right to the water impounded by these structures.
Ca. Water Code § 1226