This notice regards:
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 10.2 million acre-feet of water stored in northern CVP reservoirs; this represents 134% of the 15-year average. Shasta Reservoir storage is approximately 4.2 million acre-feet; 128% of the 15-year average. Federal storage in San Luis Reservoir is 660,000 acre-feet; 174% 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
The total request for 2019-2020 Supplemental Water is 23,792 acre-feet on 58,577 acres. Applications for late requests closed on July 5, 2019. The estimated Supplemental Water delivered cost will range from $290 – $310 per acre-foot. The District allocated 22,465 acre-feet of Supplemental Water so far and will allocate the remaining requests before the end of July.
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.
Any unsubscribed Supplemental Water is subject to a general allocation. For additional details, see discussion below.
General Allocation of Excess Supplemental Water
As indicated above, the District stopped accepting Late Requests for Excess Supplemental Water on July 5, 2019. All remaining/excess Supplemental Water is now designated as Other Water. Per Article 2.4.A of the District Regulations pertaining to Other Water, the District will be allocating this Other Water to all eligible cropland in the District on a per acre basis, excluding District acquired land. Other Water is priced at the District’s current Total Agricultural Water Rate of $183.85 per AF, delivered. The District anticipates allocating this Other Water in July. Water users should consider revising their order of use to avoid incurring acquisition charges if this water is lost due to a “Cap” or “Rescheduling” loss.
The Board approved the transfer of up to 29,956 acre-feet of Excess Supplemental Water out of the District for use by water users on commonly owned lands, whether it be Supplemental Water allocated as a result of a late request received between June 24 and July 5, 2019, or Excess Supplemental Water allocated as Other Water. Requests to transfer water will be taken on a first come, first serve basis. Water users will be responsible for obtaining additional regulatory approvals for transfers outside the District.
Kings River Floodwater Supply Allocation
The District pumped approximately 5,300 acre-feet of Kings River “Available Water” from the Mendota Pool in May and June. The water will be ratably allocated only to water users with outstanding requests for Central Valley Project Contract water. Kings River floodwater will be priced at approximately $110 per acre foot.
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 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.
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 was posted on the May billing statement and Rescheduling Loss will be posted as soon as the Bureau of Reclamation releases the final calculation of lost water due to forgone pumping.
Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) Update
At the July 16, 2019 Board Meeting, District staff presented three options to fund the Westside Subbasin’s 2020 costs for the Groundwater Sustainability Plan 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.
Groundwater Credit Pilot Project
At the March 19, 2019 Board meeting, the Board approved the development of a Groundwater Credit Pilot Project. The purpose of the pilot project is to collect data, encourage groundwater recharge, and enable water users to develop groundwater recharge projects. The 2019 Groundwater Credit Pilot Program Terms and Conditions are located on the District’s website on the SGMA page (PDF). If you are interested in participating in the pilot project, please contact Antonio Solorio at (559) 241-6244 or sgma@wwd.ca.gov.
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 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 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, 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 wwd.ca.gov. To set up a Westlands online account, please contact your Customer Accounting Technician at (559) 241-6250.
Landowner Contact Information Request
In June 2019, the District mailed out a Landowner Contact Information Form to all landowners. This data allows District staff to communicate with the appropriate individuals within your organization regarding your account or should an emergency arise limiting water delivery. Please sign, date and return the form to 3130 N. Fresno Street, Fresno, CA 93703-6056, send a fax to (559) 241-6276, or email customeraccounting@wwd.ca.gov. Your assistance in updating District records is appreciated. You may call the Customer Accounting Department at (559) 241-6250 if you have any questions regarding the contact information form.
Surplus Vehicles and Equipment for Sale
The District is placing the following for sale, by sealed bid: eleven used vehicles, two backhoes, miscellaneous equipment and one linkbelt crane. The vehicles and equipment will be available for inspection for one day only on Wednesday, August 7, 2019, between 7:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. at the District’s Five Points Shop and Field Office located at 23050 W. Mt. Whitney, Five Points, CA 93624.
All Bids shall be enclosed in a sealed envelope and marked “Vehicle/Equipment Bid” on the face of the envelope and received in the District’s Procurement and Fleet Services Department at 3130 N. Fresno Street, P.O. Box 6056, Fresno, CA 93703-6056, no later than 5:00 p.m. on August 9, 2019. Facsimile offers will NOT be accepted. For additional information, contact Gilbert Cano at (559) 241-6209 or Johnathan Pierce at (559) 884-2523 ext. 123. To obtain bidding instructions and view pictures visit the District’s website (PDF).
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, 14RB, 14RC | |
| November 4 | 29RA, 29RB | |
| 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 |
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. 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 Nicole Branum at (559) 241-6235, nbranum@wwd.ca.gov to begin the application process. Additional information is also available on the District’s website.
Summertime Irrigation Evaluation Program
The Irrigation Training and Research Center of Cal Poly (ITRC) is once again offering free irrigation evaluations this summer under a program funded by the Bureau of Reclamation and Department of Water Resources. Additional information on the types of evaluations being offered is included in the ITRC Website. Interested water users should contact Alex Young at (559) 241-6225 or ayoung@wwd.ca.gov. The number of evaluations offered is limited by available funding.
Irrigation Evaluation Cost Share Rebate
The District is offering water users a rebate for mobile lab services. Mobile lab services perform irrigation system evaluations by measuring water rate application, system distribution uniformity and by providing efficiency improvement recommendations. The amount of rebate per field evaluation is limited to 25 percent of the invoice or $500, whichever is less. Funds are limited, and availability is on a first come, first serve basis. Application and information are available on the District’s website or call Alex Young at (559) 241-6225 for additional assistance.
Planned Inspection and Repair Shutdown Schedule – July and August
In an effort 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) Impacted | Dates | Scheduled Work | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entire Coalinga Canal | 7-23 to 7-24 | Aquatic Growth Treatment | Canal Capacity Limited (100 CFS) |
| Entire Coalinga Canal | 8-21 to 8-22 | Aquatic Growth Treatment | Canal Capacity Limited (100 CFS) |
| Entire Coalinga Canal | 9-24 to 9-25 | Aquatic Growth Treatment | Canal Capacity Limited (100 CFS) |
| 1R-4.0 “C” and “D” Reaches | 7-31 to 8-1 | Aquatic Growth Treatment | 1R-4.0D Reservoir Treatment 24hr Shutdown |
| 1R-4.0 “C” and “D” Reaches | 8-20 to 8-21 | Aquatic Growth Treatment | 1R-4.0D Reservoir Treatment 24hr Shutdown |
| 2R System | 8-6 to 8-7 | Aquatic Growth Treatment | 2R-A and 2R-B Reservoir Treatment 24hr Shutdown |
| 2R System | 9-3 to 9-4 | Aquatic Growth Treatment | 2R-A and 2R-B Reservoir Treatment 24hr Shutdown |
| 17R System | 8-13 to 8-14 | Aquatic Growth Treatment | 17R-B and 17R-C Reservoir Treatment 24hr Shutdown |
| 17R System | 9-10 to 9-11 | Aquatic Growth Treatment | 17R-B and 17R-C Reservoir Treatment 24hr Shutdown |
Summer Hours of Operation
As a reminder effective June 18, 2019, the Five Points Shop and Field Office (including TFO, HFO and PVPP), commenced summer hours of operation from 6:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
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.
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.