This notice regards:
ITEMS TO NOTE
2021-2022 CVP Contract Allocation
On February 23, 2021, the Bureau of Reclamation announced an initial 2021-2022 Central Valley Project (CVP) allocation of 5% for South-of-Delta agricultural water service contractors. Reclamation may 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 the allocation could increase to 10%, if the hydrology going forward is above average, and if there is significant runoff on the San Joaquin River during the spring. The District will continue to monitor and timely report any changes to the CVP allocation.
2021-2022 Land-Based Charges
The bills for the 2021-2022 Land-Based Charges were mailed on March 10, 2021, with the first installment due March 25, 2021, and the second installment due September 27, 2021. A penalty will be added to unpaid charges on the day following the payment due date. Please contact Jessie Xiong at (559) 241-6212 for additional information about Land-Based Charges.
Surplus Vehicles for Sale
The District is offering for sale, by sealed bid, two used vehicles. All bids must be received by 5:00 p.m. on March 31, 2021, in the District’s Procurement and Fleet Services Department at 3130 N. Fresno Street, P.O. Box 6056, Fresno, CA 93703. Facsimile offers will be accepted.
Anyone interested in submitting a bid or wants additional information, may contact Gilbert Cano in the District’s Procurement and Fleet Services Department at (559) 241-6209 or visit the Vehicle Surplus page on District’s website (PDF) to obtain bidding instructions.
| Vehicle# | Year | Description | Estimated Mileage | Minimum Bid Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 2008 | Dodge Grand Caravan | 110,380 | $2,500.00 |
| 16 | 2005 | Ford Taurus | 81,384 | $1,300.00 |
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.
2021-2022 Supplemental Water Application – Response May Be Required
The District is planning to acquire Supplemental Water from multiple sources for the 2021-2022 water contract year. The District anticipates a partial allocation of Supplemental Water to water users could occur in late spring. 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 prorated 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 the 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.
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 April 30, 2021, by one of the following means.
- Mail to: Westlands Water District, P.O. Box 6056, Fresno, CA 93703. You may also hand deliver the agreement to the District’s Fresno Office, at 3130 N. Fresno Street.
- Scan and email: customeraccounting@wwd.ca.gov
- Facsimile to: (559) 241-6276
Agreements not received at the District or postmarked by the due date will not be considered timely. Late Requests will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis, after timely requests are filled. Please direct questions to your Customer Accounting Technician at (559) 241-6250.
WATER SUPPLY
2021-2022 Water Supply Update
The CVP currently has approximately 5.9 million acre-feet of water stored in northern CVP reservoirs; this represents 77% of the 15-year average. Shasta Reservoir storage is approximately 2.3 million acre-feet; 70% of the 15-year average. Federal storage in San Luis Reservoir is 450,000 acre-feet; 66% of the
15-year average. Jones Pumping Plant has operated at about 14% capacity this month.
2020-2021 Rescheduled Water
The District rescheduled and carried over 137,234 acre-feet into the 2021-2022 contract water year. The District did not experience a loss due to limits set by the Bureau of Reclamation in its Rescheduling Guidelines for San Luis Reservoir (Guidelines), referred to a “Cap Loss” under the District’s Rescheduling Policy. San Luis Reservoir will not fill. According to the District’s Rescheduling Policy, the Rescheduling Period will extend to February 28, 2022. The Guidelines provide for a 1% storage loss factor for evaporation and system losses. This loss factor will be prorated to rescheduled water remaining in water user accounts on April 1, 2021, and each subsequent month, until the District delivers all rescheduled water. It is possible, due to water users’ use of other water types (e.g. 2021 Contract Water), when the loss is prorated the percentage of loss applied will be less than 1%. The District is reviewing all costs associated with this water and will be posting appropriate charges to affected water user accounts. If you have any questions, please contact Russ Freeman at (559) 241-6241.
FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION
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 effected 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, located on the Rules & Regulations page of the District website (PDF). In addition, meters found running without a valid water order may be subject to a portion of or entire lateral monitoring fee of $647.12. Accurate water orders are also critical for reference if a meter malfunctions or varies from a standard calibration range. Your monthly billing can be directly affected by the accuracy of your water orders.
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 through your water user account at wwd.ca.gov. To set up a Westlands online account, please contact your Customer Service Representative at (559) 241-6250.
Office Communication During COVID-19 Pandemic – Fresno Office Closed
Westlands Water District requests that water users conduct all District related business via phone and email, in lieu of visiting District offices. The District’s Fresno office is closed to the public during regular business hours. Water users can drop off payments and forms at the Fresno office through the drop box.
District staff will monitor the developments closely and seeks to maintain the safety of employees, water users, and the public. The District will provide notices to landowners and water users if District operations are impacted further by Federal or State recommendations to slow the spread of the virus. Please contact
District staff if you have questions. Contact the main office by phone at (559) 224-1523, or email at info@wwd.ca.gov.
E-Statement Availability
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many District staff are working from home. Therefore, you will not receive paper statements from the District for the near future. To access your monthly Statement of Account and Water Activity Report, please login to your Westlands Water District web account, select Menu, then E-Docs. To ensure your payment is correctly applied to your account(s), always include your account number(s) on your check and/or the remittance stubs from the top section of your monthly billing statement(s).
The District also offers an Automatic Bill Payment (ABP) option for paying your monthly agricultural water bill. Participation in ABP will ensure your payment is always timely and avoids penalty, interest, or monitoring charges due to late payments. The ABP authorization form is available on your Westlands Water District web account by selecting Menu, then Forms, and Automatic Bill Payment Authorization. If you have any questions, please contact the Customer Accounting Department at (559) 241-6250.
OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE
Groundwater Meter Installation and Well Modifications
District staff is currently installing District owned saddle mag meters on all groundwater wells within the District, in compliance with the meter installation schedule established in the Westside Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP). Given the timeline for installing meters on all wells within the District, staff asks water users work closely with District field staff to ensure District owned meters can be installed.
Please inform the District when operation of a well has stopped, for District staff to arrange the meter installation. Communicating this information is critical to meeting the GSP schedule. As a reminder, well discharge modifications are the responsibility of the water user. For questions related to well modifications, please contact the Alex Young at (559) 884-2523 X122 or ayoung@wwd.ca.gov.
Please report meter issues, and do not remove or replace District owned meters.
Advanced Notice of 2021-2022 Quinquennial Inspection and Repair Shutdown Schedule
The following table lists the District’s the general order and initial dates planned for pumping plant system inspection and repair shutdown schedule for Fiscal year 2021-2022. If you have questions or feedback regarding these shutdowns, please contact the District’s Maintenance Scheduler, Jimmy Weedin at (559) 884-2523 ext. 108.
| Week | Division Valves to be inspected | Pumping Plant |
|---|---|---|
| September 27, 2021 | 6L | |
| October 4, 2021 | PV3-0.2 | PV3 |
| October 11, 2021 | 7L & 7-0.5 | |
| October 11, 2021 | PV8 | |
| October 25, 2021 | 27R | |
| November 1, 2021 | 12R | |
| November 15, 2021 | 13L | |
| December 6, 2021 | 13RA & 13RB | |
| December 13, 2021 | 2RA & 2RB | |
| January 10, 2022 | 15R | |
| January 24, 2022 | 36L | |
| January 31, 2022 | 22R | |
| February 7, 2022 | 24R | |
| February 14, 2022 | PV2-0.5 | PV2 |
| February 28, 2022 | 21R |
RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
Westlands Water Quality Coalition Members
Crop year 2020 Farm Evaluations and Irrigation & Nitrogen Management Plans were due March 1, 2021; both reports are required to be completed on the Coalition Website. If you have not completed these requirements, please do so as soon as possible. If you need assistance with the submittal process or have questions regarding your submittal, please contact Zac Just at (559) 241-6245 or by email at zjust@wwd.ca.gov or Antonio Bejarano at (559) 241-6242, or by email at abejarano@wwd.ca.gov.
Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) Update
The next Advisory Committee (AC) and the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) meetings are scheduled for May 25, 2021. The presentations from the last quarterly meetings are posted on the SGMA page of the District’s Website. For more information regarding the AC and TAC, please contact Antonio Solorio at (559) 241-6244 or sgma@wwd.ca.gov.
2021 Canal Integration Program
The District is pursuing approvals to operate the Groundwater Pumping and Conveyance Project, also known as the Canal Integration Program (CIP), if the CVP allocation is 20 percent or less and is preparing an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to evaluate the CIP. The District is the Lead Agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Through a Notice of Preparation (NOP), the District invites written comments on the scope of the environmental analysis and identification of potential environmental issues to be included in the EIR. The 30-day public review period for the NOP extends from March 12, 2021 through April 10, 2021. A virtual public meeting will be held on March 19, 2021 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. to solicit comments on the scope and content of the EIR. More information on the NOP and virtual public meeting can be found on the Environmental Docs page of the District’s website.
Water Ordering Procedures for Pumps Enrolled in District Power Programs
The District’s Groundwater Management Program and Temporary Diversion Program provide Western Area Power Administration energy to temporary diversion pumps, groundwater pumps, and drip system booster pumps. The District’s Terms and Conditions for Agricultural Water Service apply to water delivered under the Groundwater Management and Temporary Diversion programs. Accordingly, water users are required to place their water orders three days in advance if they are delivering water through a pump enrolled in the District’s power program. It is critical 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 increased power costs, which are then passed on to program participants.
Grant Funding Opportunity for Groundwater Meters
The District received a grant to install meters on groundwater wells and is seeking wells not enrolled in the Groundwater Management Program (GWMP) to receive a District groundwater well meter. Installing a District-owned meter on wells in the District is a requirement of the Westside Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP). Data collected from wells participating in this program will be subject to the grant funding terms and conditions. Voluntary participation in this grant funded meter replacement program could result in reduced meter costs to the well’s owner. Grant funding is limited. If you are interested or have any questions, please contact David Vang at dvang@wwd.ca.gov.
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 Juan Pacheco at (559) 241-6228 or jpacheco@wwd.ca.gov to begin the application process. Additional information is also available on the Expanded Irrigation System Improvement Program (EISIP) page of the District’s website.
2021-2022 Agreement to Accept and Purchase Supplemental Water (PDF)