This notice regards:
2019-2020 Rescheduled Water Outlook
The District anticipates that a limit of approximately 165,000 acre-feet will be placed on the amount of water that may be carried over to the 2019 water contract year. The water remaining at contract year-end in excess of the limit (“Cap”) will be lost according to the District’s Rescheduling Policy.
Water users are reminded that according to the District’s Rescheduling Policy, loss (whether Cap Loss or Rescheduling Loss) is prorated based on volume per acre, from highest to lowest, and is applied in the following order and manner:
- Any remaining Rescheduled Water in excess of the Acreage Based Cap (0.5 acre-feet per irrigable acre)
- Water rescheduled by the District
- Remaining Rescheduled Water
- Delivered Rescheduled Water in excess of the Acreage Based Cap
- Delivered Rescheduled Water within the Acreage Based Cap
Although the District’s Rescheduling Policy permits rescheduling in excess of the Acreage Based Cap, staff expects that after Cap Loss is applied, there will be about 0.35 acre-feet per acre remaining, assuming all eligible acres participate in rescheduling water. If the San Luis Reservoir fills and there is a loss due to foregone pumping (Rescheduling Loss), then that loss will be applied in addition to the Cap Loss
Water users are given until March 10,
2019-2020 CVP Contract Allocation
The Bureau of Reclamation announced an initial 2019-2020 allocation of 35% for south of Delta CVP agricultural water service contractors. The District expects that Reclamation will make additional allocation announcements based on updated hydrologic information as it is available. The final allocation, typically made in April or May, will depend on the actual hydrology in the watersheds that produce runoff in the upper Sacramento River basin. District staff projects that the allocation under
The CVP currently has approximately 8.6 million acre-feet of water stored in northern CVP reservoirs; this represents 118% of the 15-year average. Shasta Reservoir storage is approximately 3.4 million acre-feet; 112% of the 15-year average. Federal storage in San Luis Reservoir is 884,000 acre-feet; 126% of the 15-year average. Jones Pumping Plant is operating at five units and it is possible that San Luis Reservoir will fill in March.
2019-2020 Supplemental Water Application – Response May Be Required
The District is planning to acquire supplemental water from multiple sources for the 2019-2020 water contract year. It is estimated that the delivered cost to water users will be in the range of $400 – $500 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.
When the allocation of Supplemental Water occurs, the quantity allocated to a water user’s account is a proration 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 that account will not be factored into subsequent allocations. Accordingly, water users with relatively high per acre requests will receive the bulk (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 of 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. 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.
If you would like to be part of the Supplemental Water program, please complete the enclosed agreement and return it to the Fresno Office by close of business on May 1, 2019. 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.
General Allocation of Other District Water
The District acquired approximately 102,700 acre-feet of supplemental water in the 2018-2019 water contract year. Upon allocation of supplemental water subscribed by water users, approximately 9,900 acre-feet remained unsubscribed, as surplus. At its June meeting, the Board determined to allocate this remaining surplus water as Other Water. Per Article 2.4
Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) Update
At the February 19 Board Meeting, District staff presented an option to consolidate management areas and to consider allocating groundwater by
Westlands Special Election for Vacant Board of Director Position
A special election is scheduled to be held in Westlands Water District on February 26, 2019, for the Office of Director. The election will be conducted as an all-mail ballot election and there will be no polling places. Ballots were mailed to each District landowner. In order to have your vote counted, you must use the official ballot and return it by mail or deliver it to the District office in Fresno, using the identification/return envelope provided.
Generally, the election law stipulates that your ballot must be received by the District no later than the close of the polls, 8:00 p.m., Tuesday, February 26, 2019. However, the law provides that a ballot received by the District via the U.S. Postal Service or a private mail delivery company no later than three days after the election day will be considered timely cast if the ballot: (1) is postmarked or date stamped by the deliverer on or before election day, or (2) if lacking a legible postmark/date stamp, it is signed and dated by the voter on or before election day.
Westlands Water Quality Coalition Members
2018 Farm Evaluations and Nitrogen Summary Reports are due on March 1, 2019. All submissions are required to be completed online at 4Creeks Website. If you need assistance with the submittals, please contact Nicole Branum at (559) 241-6235 or by email nbranum@westlandswater.org to schedule an appointment for a WWQC representative to assist in the submittal process. For questions regarding your online submittal or use of the WWQC reporting system, contact wwqc@westlandswater.org.
As a reminder, all landowners and farm operators adjacent to the Panoche-Silver Creek, Cantua Creek
Low Interest Irrigation Equipment Lease Program
The District’s Expanded Irrigation System Improvement Program (
Annual Water Users’ Workshop
The annual water users’ workshop will be held on Tuesday, March 19, 2019, at 1:30 p.m., at the District’s Five Points Field Office. District staff will provide updates on District activities and other matters.