This notice regards:
Annual Certification/Reporting Forms
Federal Reclamation law requires certain landowners to annually submit certification/reporting forms as a condition of continued eligibility to receive water. Landowners whose total westwide landholdings exceed the following acreage thresholds must submit forms:
| Acreage Limitation Status | Forms Submittal Threshold |
| Qualified Recipient (New Law, 25 people or fewer) | 240 acres |
| Limited Recipient (New Law, more than 25 people) | 40 acres |
| Public Entities | 40 acres |
| Trusts and Estates (benefiting 25 people or fewer) | 240 acres |
| Trusts and Estates (benefiting more than 25 people) | 40 acres |
| Farm Operator | 960 acres |
Please return completed forms by February 1, 2018, to allow timely processing before water is ordered for the next water year, thereby ensuring water service is not interrupted. If your forms are not received, prior to the beginning of the 2018-2019 water year, your land will be ineligible to receive water or any benefit of CVP facilities until the forms are submitted.
You may obtain your forms from the Bureau’s website at the USBR website under the RRA Forms menu item. Reclamation law forms are also available at the District’s Fresno or Five Points Field Offices.
Certification/Reporting Form Instructions
Complete the enclosed Certification/Reporting Questionnaire to determine your filing requirements and submit the appropriate forms based on your answers to the questions.
- Please include your Westlands Water District account number (if one has been assigned), next to your name on Line No. 1 of the appropriate form (i.e., Joe Brown Farming – Account # 123456). If you are a part-owner, please include the words “Part-Owner” next to your name on Line No.1 of the appropriate form (i.e., Joe Brown – Part Owner).
- For land exceeding your non-full-cost entitlement, please complete the Selection of Full-Cost Land (Form 7-21FC). For land exceeding your ownership entitlement, please complete the Designation of Excess Land (Form 7-21XS).
- All forms for multiple ownership entities must be signed by all partners or part owners, unless you have a notarized entity signature authorization form on file with the District or your partnership agreement allows for only one party to sign on behalf of the entity. Spouses must sign on all individual forms unless a notarized spousal signature authorization form is on file with the District. Signature authorization forms are available from the District. Submittal of incomplete, unsigned, or undated forms may result in your land remaining ineligible to receive Project water. The Bureau of Reclamation will assess administrative fees for form(s) violations if water is delivered prior to receipt of forms.
- Landowners and water users are required to identify farm operators that perform farming services for an entity or trust. The Bureau of Reclamation defines a farm operator as an individual or entity other than the owner, lessee, or sub-lessee that performs any portion of the farming operation. This includes farm managers, but does not include spouses, minor children, employees for whom the employer pays social security taxes, or custom service providers. Farm operators that provide more than one service on more than 960 acres westwide must submit a “Declaration of Farm Operator Information” (Form 7-21FARMOP).
- If your landholdings change during the water year, you must notify all districts in which you hold land within 30 calendar days, and you must submit new forms within 60 calendar days of the change.
- Form 7-21VERIFY can only verify ONE standard form. Examples of commonly used standard forms include: 7-2180, 7-2181, and 7-21TRUST. Other standard forms are also subject to this filing requirement. If one Form 7-21VERIFY is used to verify two or more standard forms, the Bureau of Reclamation will assess an administrative fee for a form submittal violation.
Please contact your Customer Service Representative at (559) 241-6250 if you have any questions regarding certification/reporting rules.
The deadline for submitting this form has passed. If you have questions, please call customer accounting at: (559) 241-6250