April Monthly Notice (#538)

2018-2019 Water Supply Update

On April 20, 2018, Reclamation increased the allocation for south-of-Delta (SOD) agricultural water service contractors to 40 percent. The San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority issued a statement regarding the allocation increase on the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority Website. The initial 2018 agricultural allocation announced in February was 20 percent. In addition, Reclamation plans to cap the amount of Rescheduled Water remaining in San Luis Reservoir at the end of the 2018 water contract year to 150,000 acre-feet for all SOD agricultural water service contractors. Reclamation took similar action in the 2017 water contract year. The cap will limit the District’s share of Rescheduled Water into the 2019 water contract year to about 100,000 acre-feet (or about 0.2 acre-feet per irrigable acre). Water users are encouraged to manage their accounts accordingly. The District will continue to monitor and timely report any changes to the CVP allocation.

The CVP currently has approximately 9.8 million acre-feet of water stored in northern CVP reservoirs; this represents 115 percent of the 15-year average. Storage in Shasta Reservoir is approximately 4.1 million acre feet; 111 percent of normal for this time of year. Federal storage in San Luis Reservoir is 906,000 acre-feet; 121 percent of the 15-year average. The CVP share of San Luis Reservoir storage began to refill again in mid March and is now about 60,000 AF short of full. On March 21, Reclamation implemented Section 4003 of the WIIN Act and increased Jones pumping. This allowed for an estimated 24,000 AF of additional pumping. The Inflow/Outflow (I/E) ratio of 3:1 on the San Joaquin River at Vernalis is now limiting Jones pumping and the CVP share of San Luis Reservoir will probably lose storage as water demands increase. However, Banks Pumping Plant is scheduled to shut down for 30 to 40 days starting around April 15 due to required maintenance for the California Aqueduct lining upstream of O’Neill forebay. This should allow Jones to operate with at least two units going into May.

2017-2018 Rescheduled Water Update

Reclamation established a Rescheduled Water Supply cap of 150,000 acre-feet (AF) for the San Luis Reservoir. The cap limited the District’s share of Rescheduled Water into the 2018-2019 water contract year to 101,159 AF. The District had 364,778 AF at the end of the 2017-2018 water contract year with losses of 263,619 AF. Losses were applied to water user accounts and reflected on the March statements.

2018-2019 Supplemental Water Update

The District is planning to acquire supplemental water from multiple sources for the 2018-2019 water contract year. It is estimated that the delivered cost to water users will be in the range of $475 – $525 per acre-foot. The District anticipates that a partial allocation of Supplemental Water to water users could occur in late spring, but the majority of the Supplemental Water is currently planned to be allocated in the summer.

Advance payment for acquisition costs of the water is required at the time of allocation, while operation and maintenance-related costs will be billed when the water is delivered. The District will notify water users regarding the allocation advance payment when acquisition costs are more certain. The allocation advance payment will apply toward the delivered Supplemental Water rate. If an advance payment is delinquent for 30 days or more then the District may withdraw the water made available for allocation to a water user and reduce the water user’s outstanding request by the same amount. The water will be allocated to water user accounts as Project water or non-Project water (if available), allowing Full-Cost rates to be applied as required by Reclamation Law. Additionally, once the District commits to purchase Supplemental Water, agreements may not be revoked or amended.

If you would like to be part of the Supplemental Water program, please complete the agreement located in the February 23, 2018 Notice #533 and return it to the Fresno Office by close of business on May 1, 2018. The agreement may be mailed to Westlands Water District, P.O. Box 6056, Fresno, CA 93703, but agreements not received at the District by the due date will not be considered timely (regardless of the postmark). You may also hand deliver the agreement to the District’s Fresno Office at 3130 N. Fresno Street. Requests received after the deadline will receive a lower priority for allocations and will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please direct questions to your Customer Accounting Technician at (559) 241-6250.

Assessment Equalization Hearing

The Board of Directors will hold an equalization hearing to establish the District’s 2018 Benefit Assessment on Tuesday, May 15, 2018, at 1:00 p.m., at the District’s Fresno Office, 3130 N. Fresno Street, Fresno, California. Copies of the 2018 Assessment Book are available for review at the Fresno and Five Points offices. The Assessment Book contains the valuation of all District lands and is based on the benefit assessment methodology approved by the voters in August 2017 and the Board in September 2017.

Landowners who question their land valuations and wish to petition the Board must submit a written application for a reduction of the land valuation on or before May 9, 2018. Landowners must include the reasons supporting the claim for modification and an opinion of the proper valuation. For additional information, please contact Deborah Tuggle at (559) 241-6212.

2018-2019 Land-Based Charges

The 2018-2019 Land-Based Charges were mailed on March 9, 2018, with the first installment due March 26, 2018, and the second installment due September 25, 2018. A penalty will be added to unpaid charges on the day following the payment due date. Interest will start to accrue as of April 25, 2018 at 1.5%. Please contact Deborah Tuggle at (559) 241-6212 for additional information about Land-Based Charges.

Water Ordering Procedures for Pumps Enrolled in District Power Programs

The District’s Groundwater Management Program and Temporary Diversion Program provide Western Area Power Administration energy to temporary diversion pumps, groundwater pumps, and drip system booster pumps. The District’s Terms and Conditions for Agricultural Water Service apply to water delivered under the Groundwater Management and the Temporary Diversion programs. Accordingly, water users are required to place their water orders three days in advance if they are delivering water through a pump enrolled in a District power program. It is critical that water users comply with the ordering procedures to ensure that the District’s request for power to operate these facilities is accurate. Failure to place timely “on” or “off” orders will result in inaccurate power requests and, therefore, increase power costs which are then passed on to program participants.

Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) – May 3rd Workshop

The District will hold an informational Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) workshop on Thursday, May 3, 2018, at 10:00 AM at the Five Points Field Office Shop located at 23050 W. Mt. Whitney, Five Points, CA 93624. The purpose of this workshop is to present the Westside Subbasin groundwater modeling results and provide a status of the District’s work. All workshops are open to the public, and community members interested in groundwater planning are invited to attend. On May 17, 2018, the District, in conjunction with the San Luis and Delta-Mendota Water Authority (Delta-Mendota Subbasin), will host a bilingual (Spanish and English) workshop to present the Westside Subbasin modeling results. Previous presentation materials are available on the District’s Website. Contact Kiti Campbell for additional information at (559) 241-6226 or email to: sgma@westlandswater.org.

Westlands Water Quality Coalition (WWQC) – Member Submittals and April 24th Workshop

The WWQC will hold a Nitrogen Management Continuing Education Workshop on Tuesday, April 24, 2018 from 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM for members with Nitrogen Management Plan Self-Certification. The No-Cost Workshop will be held at our Five Points Field Office located at 23050 W. Mt. Whitney Avenue, Five Points, CA 93624. Please RSVP to Nicole Branum at (559) 241-6235. Additional information including a workshop agenda can be found at Cures Work Website . Crop year 2017 Farm Evaluation Surveys and Nitrogen Summary Reports were due March 1, 2018; both reports are required to be submitted using the WWQC web-based system at 4Creeks website. Failure to complete submittals could result in fines assessed by the Regional Water Quality Control Board.

Accepting Reservations for Bollibokka Fishing Club

The Bollibokka Fishing Club is continuing to accept reservations for this fishing season. The District’s March 23, 2018, Notice No. 535 contains additional information for anyone interested in taking advantage of this opportunity. The club’s season runs from the last weekend in April through November 15, and there are still a number of weeks available at both the Clubhouse and the Way Station. The normal reservation period is Wednesday through Sunday, but reasonable accommodations to this schedule will be made, if possible. Please contact Michael Caranci of The Fly Shop at (800) 669-3474 (office), (530) 222-3572 (fax), michael@theflyshop.com (email), or by mail at 4140 Churn Creek Road, Redding CA 96002. For additional information, visit the Club’s website.

Lands Available for Lease

The District continues to have parcels available for lease in Fresno and Kings Counties. For a list of available land, please contact Cork McIsaac of Agriculture Industries, Inc. at (916) 372-5595 or (800) 822-1415.

Department of the Navy Agricultural Lease

Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest has provided the enclosed announcement informing interested bidders about a Department of the Navy Agricultural Lease at Naval Air Station Lemoore. Please use the contact information in the letter if you have any questions about this agricultural lease program.

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY ADVERTISEMENT FOR REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL TO LEASE GOVERNMENT LANDS FOR APIARY PURPOSES

• The Department of the Navy, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, proposes to lease Government owned land for apiary purposes located at the Naval Air Station Lemoore, California under the process and terms outlined in the Invitation for Bid (IFB).
• Sealed bid and deposit must be received at Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest, ATTN: Erin Wilson, Desert IPT Real Estate, Code JV10.EW, 1220 Pacific Highway, San Diego, California, 92132-5190, by 2:00 P.M., Pacific Time, on TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2018. The bid opening will be conducted via a live conference call at 2:00 P.M., Pacific Time, on TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2018. As there will be no public access to the conference center, refer to callin information in the IFB to listen to the actual bid opening. Bids will NOT be accepted after 2:00 P.M. FAX COPIES OF PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED RESPONSIVE.
• DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY

Parcel(s)	Acres(AC)	RFP Number	Lease Term
4B01	+/-1.44 Total AC	N62473LO10661	One (1) five-year firm term Aug 1, 2018 – July 31, 2023 Option Period: One (1) five-year option Aug 1, 2023 – July 31, 2028

• IFB package and instructions will be posted electronically on Navy Electronic Commerce Online (NECO). Interested bidders can view the IFB package by parcel number, print, and submit the completed Bid Form with a bid deposit.
• Interested bidders can access the following NECO website and proceed with the following steps:
  1. Search Synopsis
  2. Under NAICS Code scroll down to: “111 – Crop Production ”
  3. Click on “Search” at bottom of page.
  4. Click on “NAS Lemoore Parcel 4B01 Apiary Lease”
  5. Click on “View Solicitation.”
  6. Under the Line Items section, download the file listed.
  7. The IFB documents must be reviewed thoroughly.
  8. Print the IFB documents, which include the Bid Form in the downloaded file.
  9. Complete and submit bid according to instructions outlined in the IFB.
• If you are a registered user on NECO, you may add yourself to the Plan Holder List. The Plan Holder List will notify you if there are any updates or amendments to the advertisement. To add yourself to the Plan Holder List: after you click on View Solicitation, locate Plan Holder List (below Issue Date) and click on “Add/Del.”
• If you have any questions, please contact Erin Wilson, Realty Specialist, via email at erin.wilson@navy.mil.
• The Department of the Navy reserves the right not to award the Lease.

Holiday Office Closure & Water Ordering Procedures

District offices will be closed on Monday, May 28, 2018, in observance of Memorial Day. The affected water ordering deadlines are as follows:

For Water Use On	Place Water Order By
Saturday or Sunday – May 26 or 27	Friday, May 25, 9:30 a.m.
Monday or Tuesday- May 28 or 29	Friday, May 25, noon

The emergency telephone number for after hours and holidays is (559) 224-1523.