July Monthly Notice (#549)

2018-2019 CVP Water Supply Update

The Bureau of Reclamation’s allocation to Central Valley Project (CVP) south-of-Delta agricultural water service contractors is currently 50 percent for the 2018-2019 water contract year. The CVP currently has approximately 8.1 million acre-feet of water stored in northern CVP reservoirs; this represents 110 percent of the 15-year average. Shasta Reservoir storage is approximately 3.38 million acre-feet; 106 percent of the 15-year average. Federal storage in San Luis Reservoir is 419,000 acre-feet; 122 percent of the 15-year average. Jones is operating at capacity and is expected to continue as such through September and possibly later. The current Total Agricultural Water Rate for 2018-2019 CVP water is $211.05 per AF.

2018-2019 Rescheduled Water

Reclamation indicated that it “is planning to limit the overall amount of water in San Luis Reservoir that is rescheduled at the end of the contract year into the 2019 contract year to 150,000 acre-feet.” District staff sought a clarification from Reclamation because in prior years, a cap on rescheduled water applied only to allocated Project water. Reclamation confirmed that the 150,000 acre-feet cap applies only to the 2018 allocation of Project water and any Project water allocated in a prior year, but rescheduled into the 2018 contract year. The District’s share of a 150,000 acre-feet cap on allocated Project water would be approximately 100,000 acre-feet. Non-Project water acquired by Westlands and stored under a Warren Act contract will not be subject to 100,000 AF cap. However, non-Project water stored in this manner is at a higher risk of loss if San Luis Reservoir fills.

The District anticipates it will acquire about 25,000 acre-feet of non-Project water this year. District staff plans to store and carry this water into the 2019 water contract year, to maximize total carryover storage (about 125,000 acre-feet) that is made available to all water users. 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 concerning this matter, please contact Russ Freeman at (559) 241-6241.

2018-2019 Supplemental Water Supply Update

The total 2018-2019 Supplemental Water request as of July 15 was 92,983 acre-feet on 256,450 acres. The District anticipates that it will meet these requests. The estimated Supplemental Water delivered cost will range from $430 – $460 per acre-foot. The District allocated 59,069 acre-feet on May 31, 2018, and the timing and amounts of expected allocations for the year are shown in the table below. This schedule will continue to be updated monthly to reflect supplies and/or changes to the timing of delivery.

Allocation Month	AF Amount
April	0
May – Actual	59,069
June – Estimated	0
July – Estimated	20,000
August – Estimated	30,000

Typically, 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. However, for the May allocation only, the District is modifying the advance payment requirement, as discussed in further detail in the next section of this notice. The allocation advance payment will apply toward the delivered Supplemental Water rate. 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, since the District has committed to purchase Supplemental Water, agreements may not be revoked or amended.

2018-2019 Supplemental Water Advance Charges

To provide financial relief to water users who received an allocation of 2018-2019 Supplemental Water in May 2018, the General Manager has exercised his authority under Section 10 of the District’s Terms and Conditions for Agricultural Water Service to establish the due dates for advance payments. Payments for the advance charges for 2018-2019 Supplemental Water allocated in May 2018 are due and payable in three equal monthly installments with one third (1/3) due June 25, one third (1/3) due July 25, and one third (1/3) due August 27.

Timely payments made under this payment plan will not incur penalty, interest, or monitoring charges. The 2018-2019 Supplemental Water will become available for use by water users as the advance payments are received. Please call your Customer Service Representative at (559) 241- 6250, if you have any questions.

Sustainable Groundwater Management Act Update

The District held a workshop on Monday, July 16, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. at the Harris Ranch Ballroom, 24505 West Dorris Avenue, Coalinga, CA 93210. The purpose of the workshop was to present Westlands SGMA Groundwater Management Strategies and provide a status of the District’s SGMA efforts. This was the District’s thirteenth workshop, all of which are open to the public. Presentation materials are available at the District’s website. For additional information, contact Kiti Campbell at (559) 241-6226 or sgma@westlandswater.org.

Westlands Water Quality Coalition Members

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. Members who have not submitted the reports are considered non-compliant and could be subject to fines assessed by the Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB). The RWQCB mailed non-complaint notices on July 16, 2018. If you received a notice, please contact Debra Dunn at (559) 241-6242, ddunn@westlandswater.org or Nicole Branum at (559) 241-6235, nbranum@westlandswater.org. WWQC is reviewing submittals to identify discrepancies and erroneous records for all Farm Evaluation Surveys and Nitrogen Management Summary Reports. WWQC will contact members with questions/clarifications regarding submitted information; please respond promptly.

Water Ordering Procedures for Groundwater Management and Temporary Diversion Programs

Water users that participate in the Groundwater Management and/or the Temporary Diversion Programs are required to place their water orders 3 days in advance, in accordance with the District’s Terms and Conditions for Agricultural Water Service. It is important 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 higher power costs to each of these programs and their participants.

The District’s programs utilize energy from the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) Base Resource Contract. Because the energy available under the District’s contract is rarely enough to cover energy demands of the programs, the District seeks to cover the balance of the demands by ordering the delivery of energy to the “grid” from long-term purchase contracts. To the extent that actual usage does not match this order, the District is either purchasing additional power or disposing of excess purchased power on the spot market. The spot market is often unfavorable for either purchasing or selling power and, as a result, increases costs.

Water Ordering Procedures

It is important that water users comply with the District’s water ordering procedures. Conveyance capacity through some laterals is constrained, and District staff uses water orders to determine lateral demand. 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. Further, water users who are found running without orders can have their meter(s) turned off.

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 the District’s website. To set up a Westlands online account please contact your Customer Service Representative at (559) 241-6250.

Promoting Paperless Products

The District is pleased to offer the benefit and convenience of several paperless products for customers to manage their accounts electronically such as: water ordering, water order status, water exhaustion projection, month-end allocation, account water history, satellite imagery, interactive forms, accounts receivable history, crop report data entry and penalty history. The website is at the District’s website. Water users may contact their Customer Service Representative at (559) 241-6250 to set up a secure login or for assistance in using the various features of the customer section.

Department of the Navy Agricultural Leases

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

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY ADVERTISEMENT FOR INVITATION FOR BID ON GOVERNMENT LANDS FOR AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES

• The Department of the Navy, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, proposes to lease Government owned land for agricultural purposes located at Naval Air Station Lemoore, CA 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, Real Estate, Code JV10.EW, 1220 Pacific Highway, San Diego, California, 92132-5190, by 2:00 P.M. Pacific Time, on TUESDAY, JULY 24, 2018. The bid opening will be conducted via a live conference call ONLY at 2:00 P.M. Pacific Time on TUESDAY, JULY 24, 2018. 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.
• DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY

Parcel	Acres (AC) Farmable/ Rangeland	IFB Number	Lease Term
4A19	+/- 138.9 Total AC	N62473LO10679	Lease term not to exceed ten (10 years) One (1) Five-year firm term Dec 1, 2018 – Nov 30, 2023 Option Period:
4A21	+/- 189.3 Total AC	N62473LO10682	One (1) Five-year optional term Dec 1, 2023 – Nov 30, 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 4A19” or “NAS Lemoore Parcel 4A21”.
  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, at (619) 532-3889 or via email at erin.wilson@navy.mil.
• The Department of the Navy reserves the right not to award the Lease.

Lands Available for Lease

The District has approximately 13,000 acres for lease in Fresno and Kings Counties. For a list of available land, please contact Cork McIssac of Agriculture Industries, Inc. at (916) 372-5595 or (800) 822-1415.