This notice regards:
ITEMS TO NOTE
Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) Update – Groundwater Sustainability Plan Adoption January 8
On January 8, 2020 at 1:00 p.m., the Board of Directors of Westlands Water District, serving as the Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) of the Westside Subbasin, will hold a public hearing at Westlands Water District’s Fresno Office, 3130 N. Fresno St. Fresno, CA 93703. The Board will consider
adopting the Westside Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP).
The GSP is posted on the District’s website.
Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) Workshop
On January 16, 2020 at 10:00 a.m., the District will hold a workshop at the Westlands Water District’s Five Points Field Office, 23050 W. Mt. Whitney, Five Points, CA 93624. District staff will discuss implementation of the Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) program and provide an opportunity for water users and other interested parties to ask technical experts questions about ASR.
For more information regarding this workshop, please contact Kiti Campbell at (559) 241-6226 or kcampbell@wwd.ca.gov.
Dry Well Recharge Project Tour
The District is conducting a pilot project to determine the feasibility of using dry wells for groundwater recharge. The facilities include a dry well screened below impermeable clay layers that injects filtered surface water directly into the aquifer. The District will conduct a tour of the pilot project and would like to invite interested water users to the tour.
If you are interested in attending, please contact David Vang at (559) 241-6202 or dvang@wwd.ca.gov
Allocation of District Cushion Water
The Board authorized 3,000 acre-feet of 2019-2020 District Cushion supply be allocated to all accounts with an unfulfilled Central Valley Project (CVP) allocation request. This allocation will appear on your December 2019 allocation statements (mailed in early January).
Please direct questions to your Customer Service Representative at (559) 241-6250.
2019-2020 Rescheduled Water
The District anticipates the amount of water that can be rescheduled into the 2020 water contract year will be limited to about 120,000 acre-feet. Any water in excess of that quantity will revert to Reclamation’s 2020 Central Valley Project (CVP) water.
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 revert to Reclamation, depending on the foregone pumping calculated while SLR is full. 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.
In 2019, water users delivered 70,000 acre-feet from the time 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.
If water users reschedule more than they can use in this time period and SLR fills, then any unused Rescheduled Water will likely revert to Reclamation’s 2020 CVP water. 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 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.
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 8.1 million acre-feet of water stored in northern CVP reservoirs; this represents 131% of the 15-year average. Shasta Reservoir storage is approximately 3.3 million acrefeet; 133% of the 15-year average. Federal storage in San Luis Reservoir is 326,000 acre-feet; 65% of the 15-year average. Jones Pumping Plant operated at about 80% capacity through the first two weeks of the month and increased to five units on December 13.
Projected 2020-2021 CVP Contract Allocation
The Bureau of Reclamation has not announced an initial 2020-2021 allocation for CVP water service contractors. The District expects that Reclamation will make an initial allocation in February.
Based upon current hydrologic conditions, the initial allocation could be from 15% to 20%. The final allocation, typically made in April or May, will depend on the actual hydrology, especially in the watersheds that produce runoff in the upper Sacramento River basin.
FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION
Retroactive Rate Adjustments for Groundwater and Irrigation System Management Programs
Your December billing statement (mailed in early January) will reflect retroactive rate adjustments (effective back to March 1, 2019) for all Groundwater and Irrigation System Management Programs.
The mid-year budget review indicated a budget shortfall, and a corresponding rate increase was approved by the Board of Directors on November 19, 2019.
Rate Change for Restoration Fund
The District received notification of a rate change to the Central Valley Project Restoration Fund effective October 1, 2019 through September 30, 2020. The Restoration Fund charge increased from $10.63 to $10.91 per acre-foot, effective October 1, 2019. This results in a revised water rate for 2019-20 Interim Contract water from $183.85 to $184.13 per acre-foot.
Water Ordering and Meter Turn Off
It is important 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 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 wwd.ca.gov.
To set up a Westlands online account, please contact your Customer Accounting Technician at (559) 241-6250.
OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE
District Pumping Plant Power Outages
As part of the District’s scheduled Annual Inspection and Maintenance Shutdown of District pumping plants, staff coordinates outages with PG&E. Water users are reminded that PG&E has occasionally delayed shutting off and/or restoring power to our facilities which has resulted in either delaying, canceling, or extending these shutdowns. Although this is beyond the District’s control, staff will continue to communicate our concerns to PG&E and advocate for the requested schedule. We ask for your
patience as the District works to address these issues.
Holiday Office Closures & Water Ordering Procedures
District offices will be closed Tuesday, December 24, and Wednesday, December 25, 2019, for the Christmas holiday; Wednesday, January 1, 2020, for New Year’s Day; and Monday, January 20, 2020 in observance of Martin Luther King Day. The affected water ordering deadlines are as follows:
| For Water Use On | Place Water Order By |
| Tuesday – December 24 | Monday, December 23, 9:30 a.m. |
| Wednesday or Thursday – December 25 or 26 | Monday, December 23, noon |
| Wednesday – January 1 | Tuesday, December 31, 9:30 a.m. |
| Thursday – January 2 | Tuesday, December 31, noon |
| Saturday or Sunday – January 18 or 19 | Friday, January 17, 9:30 a.m. |
| Monday or Tuesday – January 20 or 21 | Friday, January 17, noon |
The emergency telephone number for after hours and holidays is (559) 224-1523.
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
| Week | Division Valves | Pumping Plants |
| October 7, 2019 | 26-1.7 | 26L |
| October 14 | 25R | |
| October 21 | 5L | |
| October 28 | 14RA | |
| November 4 | 29RA, 29RB | |
| November 12 | 14RB, 14RC | |
| November 18 | 8L | |
| December 2 | 14L | |
| December 9 | 28RA, 28RB, 28R-1.0W | |
| December 16 | 9L | |
| January 6, 2020 | 23L | |
| January 13 | 11L | |
| January 27 | 18R |
Planned Maintenance Shutdown Schedule – 2019
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. Please, see list below:
| Lateral(s) Impacted | Dates | Scheduled Work | Notes |
| 13RB | 11-18 to 11-20 | Tank Paint – Remove Temporary Tanks | Lateral back in full service after 11-20 |
| 20R | 11-18 to 11-20 | PLC Replacement | |
| 23R | 11-20 to 11-22 | PLC Replacement | |
| 21R | 12-2 to 12-4 | Tank Paint – Remove Temporary Tanks | Lateral back in full service after 12-4 |
| 27R | 12-2 to 12-4 | PLC Replacement | |
| 30R | 12-4 to 12-8 | PLC Replacement | |
| 25R | 12-9 to 12-11 | PLC Replacement | |
| PV2 | 12-16 to 12-18 | PLC Replacement | |
| PV4 | 12-18 to 12-20 | PLC Replacement | |
| 7R | 1-6 to 1-10 | PLC Replacement – Repair By-Pass Valve | |
| PV3 | 1-13 to 1-15 | PLC Replacement | |
| PV6 | 1-13 to 1-15 | PLC Replacement | |
| PV9 | 1-15 to 1-17 | PLC Replacement | |
| 18R | 1-27 to 1-31 | PLC Replacement | |
| 21R | 1-27 to 1-29 | PLC Replacement | |
| 1R | 2-3 to 2-12 | PLC Replacement | See Shutdown Notice for Specific Meters |
RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
Westlands Water Quality Coalition Members
The Westlands Water Quality Coalition (WWQC) will hold a workshop Wednesday, February 12, 2020 from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. at the Fresno County Farm Bureau Office, 1274 W. Hedges Avenue, Fresno, CA 93728. The workshop will include a presentation on soil amendments under saline/sodic conditions.
For further information and to RSVP, contact James Reynolds at (559) 241-6231 or Nicole Branum at (559) 241-6235.
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.
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. Water users who plan to install a system on land that is served by a pump enrolled in a District power program may also be eligible for a 35% cost share, up to $45,000, from the District.
Interested water users should contact Nicole Branum at (559) 241-6235 or nbranum@wwd.ca.gov to begin the application process. Additional information is also available on the District’s website.