This notice regards:
ITEMS TO NOTE
Revised Water Rates, Charges, and Land-Based Charges Approved
The Board of Directors conducted a hearing on proposed water rates, charges and land-based charges. The Board approved implementation of the water rates, charges and land-based charges, which were noticed to all land owners and water users on July 2, 2021. These rates are based on a 0% Central Valley Project contract water allocation and other delivered water supplies, totaling 180,491 acre-feet, and are retroactive to March 1, 2021. Please refer to the District’s website for the most current water-rates, charges, and land-based charges.
Holiday Office Closure and Water Ordering Procedures
District offices will be closed on Monday, September 6, 2021, in observance of Labor Day. The affected water ordering deadlines are as follows:
| For Water Use On | Place Water Order By |
|---|---|
| Saturday, September 4 or Sunday, September 5 | Friday, September 3, 9:30 a.m. |
| Monday, September 6 or Tuesday, September 7 | Friday, September 3, noon |
The emergency telephone number for after hours and holidays is (559) 224-1523.
Benefit Assessment Statements
The 2021 Benefit Assessment statements were mailed on June 10, 2021. The charges are due now and delinquent after November 18, 2021. A 5% penalty will be added after the delinquent date. Please contact Jessie Xiong at (559) 241-6212 for additional information about Assessments.
Land-Based Charges
On August 17, 2021 the Board of Directors approved a revision to the 2021-2022 Land-Based charges. The Board had previously approved the USBR Capital Repayment Debt Service water charge to be split evenly between a water charge on all water delivered and land-based charge on all irrigable acres. The split will be retroactive to March 1, 2021 and will be reflected on the revised Land-Based Charge bill that will be mailed to landowners on or before September 10, 2021. There will be no changes to the March 2021 installment on the revised bill. The September installment of the 2021-2022 Land-Based Charges will still be due September 25, 2021. A penalty will be added to unpaid charges on the day following the payment due date. Please contact the District at (559) 241-6250 for additional information about Land-Based Charges.
2021-2022 Supplemental Water
As of July 16, 2021, the total request for 2021-22 Supplemental Water is 149,270 acre-feet on 360,458 acres. The District is planning to acquire Supplemental Water from multiple sources for the 2021-2022 water contract year. It is estimated that the District can acquire up to 135,000 acre-feet of Supplemental Water and the delivered price to water users will range from $1,200 to $1,300 per acre foot.
The District has made 21,410 acre-feet available for allocation thus far and will make an additional 5,000 acre-feet available by August 20. The District will continue to seek opportunities to make additional Supplemental Water available for allocation, but the majority of the Supplemental Water is currently planned to be available in October.
When Supplemental Water is made available for allocation, the quantity is prorated based upon the water available at that time and the number of irrigable acres associated with accounts that have outstanding requests. When an account’s request has been fulfilled, it will no longer receive allocations, and the irrigable acres associated with the account will not be factored into subsequent allocations. Accordingly, water users with relatively high per acre requests will receive the bulk (the increment above the pro-rata amount) of their request later, if water is available.
Advance payment for acquisition costs of the water is required at the time water is made available for allocation, while operation and maintenance related costs will be billed when the water is used. 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, 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. If you would like to submit a late request for the Supplemental Water program, please complete the agreement, included in the April 23, 2021 Landowner Notice, and return it to the Fresno Office. Late requests will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis, after timely requests are filled. Please direct questions to your Customer Service Representative at (559) 241-6250.
Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) Update
The next Advisory Committee (AC) and the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) meetings are scheduled for August 24, 2021, at 9:00 am. The Committees will provide input on the Groundwater Allocation Program regulations and use of groundwater within the Westside Subbasin. For more information regarding the AC and TAC, please contact Antonio Solorio at (559) 241-6244 or at sgma@wwd.ca.gov.
WATER SUPPLY
2021-2022 Water Supply Update
The CVP currently has approximately 3.37 million acre-feet of water stored in northern CVP reservoirs; this represents 54% of the 15-year average. Shasta Reservoir storage is approximately 1.3 million acre-feet; 50% of the 15-year average. Federal storage in San Luis Reservoir is -18,000 acre-feet; -8% of the 15-year average. Jones Pumping Plant has operated at about 18% capacity this month.
2021-2022 CVP Contract Allocation
On February 23, 2021, the Bureau of Reclamation announced an initial 2021-2022 Central Valley Project (CVP) allocation of 5% for South-of-Delta agricultural repayment and water service contractors. On March 23, 2021, Reclamation announced it would delay access to the 5% allocation until further notice. On May 26, 2021, Reclamation reduced the allocation to 0%.
2020-2021 Rescheduled Water
The District rescheduled and carried over 137,234 acre-feet into the 2021-2022 contract water year. According to the District’s Rescheduling Policy, the Rescheduling Period will extend to February 28, 2022. The Guidelines provide for a 1% per month storage loss factor for evaporation and system losses. This loss factor will be prorated to rescheduled water remaining in water user accounts on April 1, 2021, and each subsequent month, until the District delivers all rescheduled water. It is possible, due to water users’ use of other water types, when the loss is prorated, the percentage of loss applied will be less than 1%. The District is reviewing all costs associated with this water and will be posting appropriate charges to affected water user accounts.
FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION
Water Ordering and Meter Turn Off
Water users should 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 the 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. In addition, meters found running without a valid water order may be subject to a portion of or entire lateral monitoring fee of $647.12. Accurate water orders are also critical for reference if a meter malfunctions or varies from a standard calibration range. Your monthly billing can be directly affected by the accuracy of your water orders.
The schedule for placing water orders is as follows: water orders for Tuesday through Saturday must be placed the prior day between 7:30 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 through your water user account at District’s Website. To set up a Westlands online account, please contact your Customer Service Representative at (559) 241-6250.
OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE
Tampering with District Groundwater Well Meters
To comply with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), the District is installing meters on all groundwater wells inside the Westside Subbasin. This project includes the future installation of a District Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system, which will provide real time data to the District. Recently, staff discovered several District owned meters were accessed by means of cutting the tamper proof wire lock, without authorization, to connect a well owner’s AMI system. This practice must cease immediately as any unauthorized access to the internal components of the meter can 1) compromise the factory calibrated accuracy, 2) void warranties on the meter, and 3) potentially cause premature meter failure.
The McCrometer meters that have been installed come with a five-foot cord attached that will supply a Sensus output the District will use for a future AMI system. If you had telemetry in place before the SGMA meter installation, staff will work with you and your contractor to reestablish outputs from the meter. If you did not have telemetry installed prior to SGMA meter installation and are considering installing a system now that the meter is equipped with such capability, please contact staff first so we can answer any questions you have and schedule the work appropriately. Please contact the District’s Field Engineer, Alex Young at (559) 884-2523 ext. 122 or the Senior Water Measurement Technician, John Johnston at (559) 884-2523 ext. 131 with questions.
Groundwater Meter Installation and Well Modifications
District staff is currently installing District owned saddle mag meters on all groundwater wells within the District, in compliance with the meter installation schedule established in the Westside Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP). Given the timeline for installing meters on all wells, staff asks that water users work closely with District field staff to ensure District owned meters can be installed.
Please inform the District when operation of a well has stopped so that District staff can arrange the meter installation. Communicating this information is critical to meeting the GSP schedule. As a reminder, well discharge modifications are the responsibility of the land owner. For questions related to well modifications, please contact Alex Young at (559) 884-2523 ext. 122 or at ayoung@wwd.ca.gov.
Please report meter issues, and do not remove or replace District owned meters.
Planned Maintenance Shutdown Schedule 2021
To keep water users apprised of upcoming planned pumping plant and system maintenance, the District issues a monthly listing of the upcoming schedule for the next 45 to 60 days. Shutdown notices for scheduled work are sent to affected water users in advance of each shutdown. If water users are not receiving these notices, please contact your customer service representative to update your contact information. Please, see the list below:
| Lateral(s) Impacted | Date(s) | Scheduled Work | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20L | 8/23 to 8.26 | Pipeline Repair | |
| 18R | 8/24 | Inspect 24R Terminal Tank | |
| Entire Coalinga Canal | 8/25 to 8/26 | Aquatic Growth Treatment | 100 CFS Limited Capacity – 24 Hour |
| 17R | 9/7 | Aquatic Growth Treatment | 17R-B & 17R-C Reservoir Treatment 6:00 am – 4:00 pm |
| 24R | 9/27 to 10/1 | Quinquennial Inspection | |
| PV3 | 10/4 to 10/8 | Quinquennial Inspection | Inspect Division Valve PV3-0.2 |
Advanced Notice of 2021-2022 Quinquennial Inspection and Repair Shutdown Schedule
The following table lists the District’s general order and initial dates planned for pumping plant system inspection and repair shutdown schedule for Fiscal year 2021-2022. If you have questions or feedback regarding these shutdowns, please contact the District’s Maintenance Scheduler, Jimmy Weedin at (559) 884-2523 ext. 108.
| Week | Division Valves to be inspected | Pumping Plant |
|---|---|---|
| September 27, 2021 | 24R | |
| October 4, 2021 | PV3-0.2 | PV3 |
| October 11, 2021 | 7L & 7-0.5 | |
| October 18, 2021 | PV8 | |
| October 25, 2021 | 27R | |
| November 1, 2021 | 12R | |
| November 15, 2021 | 13L | |
| December 6, 2021 | 13RA & 13RB | |
| December 13, 2021 | 2RA & 2RB | |
| January 10, 2022 | 15R | |
| January 24, 2022 | 36L | |
| January 31, 2022 | 22R | |
| February 7, 2022 | 6L | |
| February 14, 2022 | PV2-0.5 | PV2 |
| February 28, 2022 | 21R |
RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
Groundwater and Irrigation System Management Program Outage Information
If a power outage occurs at a facility enrolled in the District’s Groundwater or Irrigation System Management Programs (GWMP/ISMP), please call the PG&E Business Customer Service Center (BCSC) at 1 (800) 468-4743. The BCSC will address downed poles/lines, blown fuses, damaged transformers, and damaged or missing meters. Prior to contacting PG&E you will need your prior PG&E meter number or account number. This information may also be included on the GWMP/ISMP application(s).
If you have any questions or need additional assistance, please contact James Reynolds at (559) 241-6231.
Low Interest Irrigation Equipment Lease Program
The District’s Expanded Irrigation System Improvement Program (EISIP) offers low interest loans at 3.1% to water users for the lease-purchase of irrigation system equipment. The EISIP provides funding up to $130,000 towards the purchase of irrigation system equipment, the design of irrigation system and purchase of portable aluminum irrigation pipe, micro irrigation, linear move, and center pivots. Interested water users should contact Juan Pacheco at (559) 241-6228 or at jpacheco@wwd.ca.gov to begin the application process. Additional information is also available on the Expanded Irrigation System Improvement Program (EISIP) page of the District’s website.