This notice regards:
2017-2018 Water Supply Update
The Bureau of Reclamation’s initial allocation to Central Valley Project (CVP) south-of-Delta agricultural water service contractors is 65 percent for the 2017-2018 water contract year. This initial allocation was based on a 90 percent exceedance, dry hydrology, going forward. The final allocation, typically made in April or May, could increase by 10-15 percent, if the hydrology continues to be above normal, especially in the watersheds that produce runoff on the San Joaquin River. In its allocation announcement, Reclamation also established a cap on rescheduling water into 2018 of 150,000 acre-feet.
The CVP currently has approximately 8.9 million acre-feet of water stored in northern CVP reservoirs. This represents 112 percent of the 15-year average. Storage in Shasta Reservoir is approximately 3.6 million acre-feet; 105 percent of the 15-year average. Federal storage in San Luis Reservoir is approximately 963,000 acre-feet; 127 percent of the 15-year average. Jones Pumping Plant is currently operating at about 86 percent of capacity and pumped approximately 149,000 acre-feet thus far in March. Additionally, on January 21, 2017, the Jones Pumping Plant began pumping about 700 cfs for the State to assist with a maintenance outage at Clifton Court Forebay.
2016-2017 Rescheduled Water Update
The District rescheduled 213,850 acre-feet of water stored in San Luis Reservoir. The San Luis Reservoir filled on March 9, 2017, and the Bureau of Reclamation began tabulating foregone pumping which will be the basis for the amount of loss applied to remaining water at sustained drawdown of San Luis Reservoir. District staff currently estimates that the sustained drawdown could begin in the first half of May.
Water users are reminded that the District’s Rescheduled Water Policy provides that any loss of Rescheduled Water will be prorated based on acre-feet, in the following order and manner:
- Any remaining Rescheduled Water in excess of the Acreage Based Cap.
- 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.
In response to some questions received about these loss provisions, water users should note that the Acreage Based Cap of 0.5 acre-feet per irrigable acre is not secure from loss. Also of note, the policy states water users shall pay all water costs that the District incurs, the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority O&M rate and any applicable District rates. Further, the rescheduling fee is not refundable if water is rescheduled and lost.
2017-2018 Supplemental Water Application – Response May Be Required
The District is planning to acquire supplemental water from multiple sources for the 2017-2018 water contract year. It is estimated that the delivered cost to water users will be in the range of $350 – $475 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 subscribe to the Supplemental Water program, please complete the enclosed agreement and return it to the Fresno Office by close of business on May 1, 2017. 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. Please direct questions to your Customer Accounting Technician at (559) 241-6250.
Kings River Water Supply Available
Westlands will pump Kings River water from the Mendota Pool through Lateral 7 and convey into the San Luis Canal. We anticipate that up to 20,000 to 30,000 acre-feet of water supply will be conveyed under this program. The Westlands Board elected to ratably allocate the Kings River water to all water users, and the anticipated allocation rate is 0.04 AF/acre to 0.06 AF/acre.
2017-2018 Land-Based Charges
The bills for the 2017-2018 Land-Based Charges were mailed on March 8, 2017, with the first installment due March 27, 2017, and the second installment due September 25, 2017. A penalty will be added to unpaid charges on the day following the payment due date. Please contact Deborah Tuggle at (559) 241-6212 for additional information about Land-Based Charges.
Annual Water Users’ Workshop Presentation Materials
The Annual Water Users’ Workshop was held on March 21, 2017, to discuss matters of interest including water supply, adopted budget, groundwater conditions and the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. Presentation materials can be found on the District’s website.
Westlands Water Quality Coalition Members
Westlands Water Quality Coalition (WWQC) members were required to complete the 2016 Farm Evaluation Survey and the 2016 Nitrogen Summary Report by March 1, 2017; both reports are required to be submitted using the WWQC web based system at 4Creeks website: https://wwqc.ilrpdb.com/. Notifications will be sent to members indicating parcels that do not have a 2016 Farm Evaluation and/or 2016 Nitrogen Summary Reports in the web-based system. Failure to complete submittals could result in fines assessed by the Regional Water Quality Control Board. Questions or comments, contact Charlotte Gallock at (559) 241-6244, cgallock@westlandswater.org, or Debra Dunn at (559) 241-6242, ddunn@westlandswater.org.
Low Interest Irrigation Equipment Lease Program
The District’s Expanded Irrigation System Improvement Program (EISIP) offers low interest loans to water users for the lease-purchase of irrigation system equipment. The EISIP provides up to $130,000 towards the design of irrigation systems and the purchase of irrigation system equipment, including portable aluminum irrigation pipe, micro irrigation, linear move and center pivots. Interested water users should contact Israel Sanchez at (559) 241-6237.
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.
One-Year Advance Notice of Inspection and Repair Shutdown Schedule
The following table provides water users with advance notice of the District’s pumping plant and system inspection and repair shutdown schedule for fiscal year 2017-2018.
Week | Division Valves | Pumping Plant |
October 9, 2017 | 21L | |
October 16 | 29-1.0 | 29L |
October 23 | 27-5.0 | 27L |
October 30 | 28-2.0, 3.0, & 4.0 | 28L |
November 13 | PV9-1.5 | PV9 |
November 27 | 12-0.5 | 12L |
December 4 | 1RA, 1R-2.0B & 1R-4.0B | |
December 11 | 1R-4.0C & 1R-4.0D | |
December 18 | 1R-4.0-1.0C & 1R-4.0-1.0-1.0D | |
January 8, 2018 | 3R | |
January 22 | 10L | |
January 29 | 30-1.3 | 30L |
February 5 | 34L | |
February 12 | 19L | |
February 26 | 1L |
Bollibokka Fishing Club Reservations
Reservations are still being accepted for the Bollibokka Fishing Club. The Club property was acquired by the District in 2006 to facilitate the raising of Shasta Dam. Until that time, the District is committed to operating the existing fishing club.
The Club property is very private, located along seven miles of the McCloud River immediately upstream of Shasta Lake. The McCloud River is esteemed for its beauty and is renowned as a premier stream for trout fishing in the world. In order to protect this unique fishery, all fishing is catch and release, fly only, barbless hooks.
The fishing season begins on April 29, 2017, and ends on November 15, 2017. If you are interested in reserving a week for a fishing trip to Bollibokka, please review the following information and contact the Club manager listed below. Remember that for reservation purposes, the week begins on Wednesday morning and ends at sunset on the following Monday. The Club is closed on Tuesday for cleaning unless reserved for consecutive weeks.
Although the early opportunity for landowners and water users to reserve a week at the Club closed on January 31, 2017, a number of weeks are still open. There are two accommodations available for rent on the property:
- The Way Station is located on the upper two miles of the property. The Way Station can accommodate up to six guests, and that is also the maximum number of rods permitted on this portion of the river. The cost is $4,410 per week.
- The Club House and Rock House are located on the lower five miles of the property. The two buildings can accommodate ten and four guests, respectively, but the maximum number of rods on this portion of the river is twelve. The cost is $7,350 per week.
The District is utilizing the experienced fly fishing services of The Fly Shop in Redding, California to handle Club management activities and coordinate all uses of the property. Additionally, the Fly Shop has associations with many fly fishing guides familiar with the McCloud. For more information, please contact Michael Caranci of The Fly Shop at (800) 669-3474 (office), (530) 222-3572 (fax), michael@theflyshop (email), or by mail at 4140 Churn Creek Road, Redding, CA 96002. For additional information, visit the Club’s website. The Fly Shop will try to accommodate all reservation requests on a first-come, first-serve basis. Once your reservation is accepted, The Fly Shop will provide a Confirmation Package, which contains directions to the facilities, updated policies, information on cooking and cleaning services and additional contact information. Payment for your stay should be made directly to The Fly Shop.