Westlands Water District

Fresno, CA

August Monthly Notice (#591)

BOARD ACTION

Delegation of Authority to General Manager to Approve Transfers of Water Out of the District for Groundwater Banking and Exchanges

At its August 20, 2019 meeting, the Board of Directors delegated authority to the General Manager to approve transfers of water out of the District for groundwater banking and exchanges, subject to certain conditions. All other water transfers out of the District must be reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors. Visit District’s Website for the description of conditions.

Board Decision to Approve Transfers of “Other Water” Out of the District

At its June 24, 2019 meeting, the Board approved the transfer of up to 29,956 acre-feet of Other Water allocated by the District. Water Users are responsible for obtaining regulatory approvals for transfers of Other Water out of the District. Water users who are interested in transferring Other Water out of the District should contact their Customer Accounting Technician for more information.

ITEMS TO NOTE

Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) Update

The Board of Directors will hold a public hearing at the District’s Five Points Field Office, 23050 W. Mt. Whitney, Five Points, CA 93624 on October 30, 2019, commencing at 3:00 P.M. to consider public comments on the Draft Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP). The Draft GSP will be available next month for the public’s review.

At the August 20, 2019 Board Meeting, District staff presented three options to fund the Westside Subbasin’s 2020 costs for the GSP implementation. As a reminder, all meetings are open to the public, and presentation materials are available on the District’s website. For more information, contact Kiti Campbell at (559) 241-6226 or sgma@wwd.ca.gov.

Land-Based Charges September Installment

The September installment of the 2019 – 2020 Land-Based Charges is due September 25, 2019. A penalty will be added to unpaid charges on the day following the payment due date. Please contact the District at (559) 241-6212 for additional information about Land-Based Charges.

Westlands Water Quality Coalition Members

The Coalition prohibits agricultural discharges into the west side creeks, including discharges due to filtration system backflushing and irrigation system leaks. These discharges are considered wastes of water and are violations of the District’s “Article 2 – Regulations for the Allocation and use of Agricultural Water Within Westlands Water District”. Members are required to implement Best Management Practices to ensure there are no discharges to west side creeks.

The Westlands Water Quality Coalition (WWQC) is actively seeking coalition volunteers with wells screened above the Corcoran Clay, varying in depth from less than 200 feet to over 800 below ground surface, to participate in the Groundwater Quality Trend Monitoring (GQTM) Program. The GQTM Program is required by the Western Tulare Lake Basin General Order R5-2014-0001 (GO) and participation will involve minimal commitment and no cost. Water quality constituent sampling will occur once per year, in the fall. If you have an Upper Zone well that might be a candidate or have any questions about the GQTM Program, please contact Edith Ramirez at 559-241-6242 or eramirez@wwd.ca.gov.

In addition, the WWQC will hold a Workshop on Thursday, September 26, 2019 from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM at the Fresno County Farm Bureau Office: 1274 W. Hedges Avenue, Fresno, CA 93728. The workshop will cover information regarding New Order requirements. For further information and to RSVP for this workshop, contact James Reynolds at (559) 241-6231 or Nicole Branum at (559) 241-6235.

Holiday Office Closure and Water Ordering Procedures

District offices will be closed on Monday, September 2, 2019, in observance of Labor Day. The affected water ordering deadlines are as follows:

For Water Use OnPlace Water Order By
Saturday, August 31 or Sunday, September 1Friday, August 30, 9:30 a.m.
Monday, September 2 or
Tuesday, September 3		Friday, August 30, noon

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

Call Before You Dig – Notify 811 USA North

Changes to California Government Code 4216, Safe Excavation Law requires any person(s) who disc land(s) by ways of grading, trenching, digging, ditching, drilling, auguring or any other way, is now required to notify 811 USA North before work begins. The law requires the proposed excavation or path be marked beforehand. Fines and penalties apply for those not in conformance. To request an 811 dig ticket, call 811 directly or go to their website. For additional information, call 811 USA North or Nicole Branum at (559) 241-6235.

WATER SUPPLY

2019 – 2020 Water Supply Update

On June 14, 2019, the Bureau of Reclamation increased the 2019 – 2020 Central Valley Project (CVP) allocation to 75% for south-of-Delta agricultural water service contractors. The District does not anticipate any additional increases to the CVP allocation for this water contract year.

The CVP currently has approximately 9.2 million acre-feet of water stored in northern CVP reservoirs; this represents 139% of the 15-year average. Shasta Reservoir storage is approximately 3.8 million acre-feet; 134% of the 15-year average. Federal storage in San Luis Reservoir is 494,000 acre-feet; 182% of the 15-year average. Jones Pumping Plant is operating at capacity, approximately 4,300 cubic feet per second, and is expected to continue to do so into September.

2019 – 2020 Supplemental Water Update

Applications for late requests closed on July 5, 2019. The total request for 2019 – 2020 Supplemental Water is 23,792 acre-feet on 58,577 acres. The estimated Supplemental Water delivered cost will range from $290 – $310 per acre-foot. The District has met all requests.

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 used. The allocation advance payment will apply toward the delivered Supplemental Water rate. If an advance payment is delinquent for 30 days or more, 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.

2019 – 2020 Rescheduled Water

The District anticipates the amount of water that can rescheduled into the 2020 water contract year will be limited to about 120,000 acre-feet. Any water in excess of that quantity will be lost.

Additionally, if San Luis Reservoir (SLR) fills on or after March 1, then any Rescheduled Water that is not used when SLR begins sustained drawdown will likely be lost, depending on the “foregone pumping” calculated while SLR was full. In 2019, water users delivered 70,000 acre-feet from the time that SLR filled on March 9, until water levels began a sustained drawdown on April 12. Reclamation declared that any unused Rescheduled Water was lost because the amount of calculated foregone pumping exceeded the amount of remaining Rescheduled Water stored in SLR.

The likelihood of SLR filling at the end of February or beginning of March 2020 is very high, in which case water users would experience a similar loss of Rescheduled Water. For these reasons, water users should manage their water use between now and the end of the water contract year to reschedule an amount they can use in the March through early April time period. If water users reschedule more than they can use in this time period and SLR fills, then any unused Rescheduled Water will likely be lost.

Be aware that neither the types of water in an account, nor participation in the Supplemental Water program are factors that affect the amount of water that an individual water user can carryover under the District’s Rescheduling Guidelines. As a reminder, if a water user loses water, the District will bill the water user the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority O&M, applicable District rates, and any other costs the District incurs. If you have any questions, please contact Russ Freeman at (559) 241-6241.

FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION

Rescheduling Loss Charges

In the 2019 – 2020 water contract year, the District lost water at the end of the rescheduling period, referred to as Rescheduling Loss. The Bureau of Reclamation announced the Rescheduling Period ended on April 12, 2019 and unused Rescheduled Water was lost. The District administratively removed all rescheduled water from water user accounts to avoid any possible confusion of water available for delivery.

According to the District’s Rescheduling Policy, Cap Loss and Rescheduling Loss were applied in that order to users’ water balances, as reflected in the April Allocation Summary Report. Cap Loss charges were posted on the May billing statement and Rescheduling Loss charges will be posted on the August billing statement that is mailed in September. At this time, only rescheduling fees, premium costs and other District costs associated with water acquisition will be charged on the unused rescheduled water that was lost.

Water Ordering and Meter Turn Off

Due to high demand for water, it is important that water users comply with the District’s water ordering procedures. Conveyance capacity through many laterals is constrained and District staff determines lateral demand based on water orders.

When demand exceeds the capacity of the lateral, the entire lateral is adversely affected, and water service can be lost for all users on the lateral. To properly operate and maintain the District’s water distribution system, and to a larger extent the Central Valley Project, water users are required to place proper water orders in accordance with District’s Terms and Conditions for Agricultural Water Service. Further, water users who are found to be running without an order will have their meter(s) turned off pursuant to Article 2, Section 2.6.H of the District’s Rules and Regulations.

The schedule for placing water orders is as follows: water orders for Tuesday through Saturday must be placed the prior day between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., by telephone or fax. Orders placed over the website are accepted until 10:00 a.m., for the following day. Water orders for Sunday and Monday must be placed by noon the preceding Friday, either by phone, fax or website. Orders may be placed by calling (559) 241- 6250 or (800) 266-6574, by Fax (559) 241-6276, or online at District’s Website. To set up a Westlands online account, please contact your Customer Accounting Technician at (559) 241-6250.

Holiday hours may affect water ordering schedule. Please see “Holiday Office Closure and Water Ordering Procedures,” under ITEMS TO NOTE section above.

OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE

Advance Notice of 2019-2020 Inspection and Repair Shutdown Schedule

The following table is provided for water users as a reminder of the District’s planned pumping plant system inspection and repair shutdown schedule for fiscal year 2019-2020. If you have questions regarding these scheduled shutdowns, please contact the District’s Maintenance Scheduler, Jimmy Weedin at (559) 884-2523 x108.

2019-2020 Quinquennial Shutdown Schedule

WeekDivision ValvesPumping Plants
October 7, 201926-1.726L
October 1425R
October 215L
October 2814RA, 14RB, 14RC
November 429RA, 29RB
November 188L
December 214L
December 928RA, 28RB, 28R-1.0W
December 169L
January 6, 202023L
January 1311L
January 2718R

Planned Inspection and Repair Shutdown Schedule – September 2019

To keep water users apprised of upcoming planned pumping plant and system maintenance, the District will publish a monthly listing of the upcoming schedule for the next 45 to 60 days.

Lateral(s) ImpactedDatesScheduled WorkNotes
Entire Coalinga Canal9-24 to 9-25Aquatic Growth
Treatment		Canal Capacity Limited (100 CFS)
2R System9-3 to
9-4		Aquatic Growth
Treatment		2R-A and 2R-B Reservoir Treatment 24hr Shutdown
17R System9-10 to
9-11		Aquatic Growth
Treatment		17R-B and 17R-C Reservoir Treatment 24hr Shutdown

Summer Hours of Operation

As a reminder the Five Points Shop and Field Office (including TFO, HFO and PVPP), is observing summer hours of operation from 6:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. This schedule is expected to continue through mid-September.

All other District offices and operations will remain unchanged, which is 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The emergency telephone number for after hours and holidays is (559) 224-1523.

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Lands Available for Lease

The District has several parcels 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 AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES

  1. The Department of the Navy, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, proposes to lease Government owned land for agricultural purposes located at the Naval Air Station Lemoore, California under the process and terms outlined in the Invitation for Bid (IFB).
  2. Sealed bid and deposit must be received at Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest, ATTN: Megan Mackay, Real Estate, Code RRV11.MM, 1220 Pacific Highway, San Diego, California, 92132-5190, by 2:00 P.M. Pacific Time, on WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2019. The bid opening will be conducted via a live conference call ONLY at 2:00 P.M. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2019. As there will be no public access to the conference center, refer to call-in 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.
  3. DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY
    4. Parcel(s)Acres(AC)RFP NumberLease Term
    4A09/4A61 Field 8+/- 349.1 Total ACN62473LO10759One (1) five-year firm term: Jan 1, 2020 – Dec 31, 2024
    One (1) five-year option term: Jan 1, 2025 – Dec 31, 2029
    4A13+/- 282.7 Total ACN62473LO10778One (1) five-year firm term: Jan 1, 2020 – Dec 31, 2024
    One (1) five-year option term: Jan 1, 2025 – Dec 31, 2029
    4A15+/- 158.3 Total ACN62473LO10794One (1) five-year firm term: Jan 1, 2020 – Dec 31, 2024
    One (1) five-year option term: Jan 1, 2025 – Dec 31, 2029
    4A16+/- 142.5 Total ACN62473LO10745One (1) five-year firm term: Jan 1, 2020 – Dec 31, 2024
    One (1) five-year option term: Jan 1, 2025 – Dec 31, 2029
    4A18+/- 160.5 Total ACN62473LO10746One (1) five-year firm term: Jan 1, 2020 – Dec 31, 2024
    One (1) five-year option term: Jan 1, 2025 – Dec 31, 2029
    4A49+/- 226.0 Total ACN62473LO10784One (1) four- year firm term: Jan 1, 2020 – Dec 31, 2023
    Six (6) one-year option terms:
    Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024
    Jan 1, 2025 – Dec 31, 2025
    Jan 1, 2026 – Dec 31, 2026
    Jan 1, 2027 – Dec 31, 2027
    Jan 1, 2028 – Dec 31, 2028
    Jan 1, 2029 – Dec 31, 2029
    4A50+/- 284.0 Total ACN62473LO10760One (1) four-year firm term: Dec 1, 2019 – Nov 30, 2023
    Six (6) one-year option terms
    Dec 1, 2023 – Nov 30, 2024
    Dec 1, 2024 – Nov 30, 2025
    Dec 1, 2025 – Nov 30, 2026
    Dec 1, 2026 – Nov 30, 2027
    Dec 1, 2027 – Nov 30, 2028
    Dec 1, 2028 – Nov 30, 2029
    4A53+/- 182.7 Total ACN62473LO10772One (1) four- year firm term: Jan 1, 2020 – Dec 31, 2023
    Six (6) one-year option terms:
    Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024
    Jan 1, 2025 – Dec 31, 2025
    Jan 1, 2026 – Dec 31, 2026
    Jan 1, 2027 – Dec 31, 2027
    Jan 1, 2028 – Dec 31, 2028
    Jan 1, 2029 – Dec 31, 2029
    4A55+/- 149.7 Total ACN62473LO10773One (1) four- year firm term: Jan 1, 2020 – Dec 31, 2023
    Six (6) one-year option terms:
    Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024
    Jan 1, 2025 – Dec 31, 2025
    Jan 1, 2026 – Dec 31, 2026
    Jan 1, 2027 – Dec 31, 2027
    Jan 1, 2028 – Dec 31, 2028
    Jan 1, 2029 – Dec 31, 2029
    4A56+/- 148.5 Total ACN62473LO10774One (1) four- year firm term: Jan 1, 2020 – Dec 31, 2023
    Six (6) one-year option terms:
    Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024
    Jan 1, 2025 – Dec 31, 2025
    Jan 1, 2026 – Dec 31, 2026
    Jan 1, 2027 – Dec 31, 2027
    Jan 1, 2028 – Dec 31, 2028
    Jan 1, 2029 – Dec 31, 2029
    4A58+/- 962.1 Total ACN62473LO10785One (1) four- year firm term: Jan 1, 2020 – Dec 31, 2023
    Six (6) one-year option terms:
    Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024
    Jan 1, 2025 – Dec 31, 2025
    Jan 1, 2026 – Dec 31, 2026
    Jan 1, 2027 – Dec 31, 2027
    Jan 1, 2028 – Dec 31, 2028
    Jan 1, 2029 – Dec 31, 2029
  4. 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.
  5. Interested bidders can access the following NECO website: Navy’s 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 4A09/4A61 Field 8”, “NAS Lemoore Parcel 4A13”, “NAS Lemoore Parcel 4A15”, “NAS Lemoore Parcel 4A16”, “NAS Lemoore Parcel 4A18”, “NAS Lemoore Parcel 4A49”, “NAS Lemoore Parcel 4A50”, “NAS Lemoore Parcel 4A53”, “NAS Lemoore Parcel 4A55”, “NAS Lemoore Parcel 4A56”, or “NAS Lemoore Parcel 4A58”.
    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.
  6. 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.”
  7. If you have any questions, please contact Megan Mackay, Realty Specialist, at (619) 532-3905 or via email at megan.mackay@navy.mil, Brad Stevenson, at (619) 532-4373 bradley.a.stevenson@navy.mil, or Raquel Gumabon (619) 532-3313 or via email Raquel.gumabon@navy.mil.
  8. The Department of the Navy reserves the right not to award these Leases.