Special Election to Fill Board of Director Vacancy
The Board of Directors took action at its October 16, 2018 meeting and directed staff to hold a special election to fill a Board vacancy. The term of the Board vacancy for election will expire in December 2020. The Westlands Water District Board of Directors is comprised of nine members. Any person over the age of 18 and either owning land or the legal representative (a corporate official or guardian, executor or administrator) of a landowner in the District is eligible to run for the Board of Director vacant position.
2018-2019 Rescheduled Water
As reported in Notice No. 552 dated August 3, 2018, the District anticipates the amount of water that may be carried over to the 2019 water contract year will be limited to approximately 170,000 acre-feet. The water remaining at contract year-end in excess of the limit will be lost according to the District’s Rescheduling Policy.
Water users are reminded that according to the District’s Rescheduling Policy, loss (whether cap or rescheduling) is prorated based on volume per acre, from highest to lowest, and is applied in the following order and manner:
- Any remaining Rescheduled Water in excess of the Acreage Based Cap (0.5 acre-feet per irrigable acre).
- 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.
Water users are given until March 10 to transfer water between accounts to reduce exposure to the Acreage Based Cap.
As a reminder, if a water user loses water, the District will bill the water user all costs associated with the lost water. If you have any questions concerning this matter, please contact Russ Freeman at (559) 241-6241.
General Allocation of Other District Water
The District acquired approximately 102,700 acre-feet of north-of-Delta transfer water this year. Upon allocation of supplemental water subscribed by water users, approximately 9,700 acrefeet remains unsubscribed, as surplus. At its June meeting, the Board determined to allocate this remaining surplus water 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 $211.05 per acre-feet, delivered to non-full cost lands. The District anticipates allocating Other Water in October when a conservative estimate can be determined.
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 50 percent for the 2018-2019 water contract year. The CVP currently has approximately 6.4 million acre-feet of water stored in northern CVP reservoirs; this represents 111 percent of the 15-year average. Shasta Reservoir storage is approximately 2.3 million acre-feet; 98 percent of the 15-year average. Federal storage in San Luis Reservoir is 411,000 acre-feet; 130 percent of the 15-year average. Jones is operating at five units and is expected to continue as such through October. The current Total Agricultural Water Rate for 2018-2019 CVP water is $211.05 per acre-foot, delivered.
2018-2019 Supplemental Water Supply Update
The total 2018-2019 Supplemental Water request as of July 15 was 92,963 acre-feet on 256,450 acres and the District will meet the request. The Finance and Administration Committee recently set the rate at $450 per acre-foot at its meeting on October 16th. The District has fulfilled all requests, 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.
| Allocated Month | AF Amount |
| April | 0 |
| May – Actual | 59,069 |
| June – Actual | 0 |
| July – Actual | 21,418 |
| August – Actual | 0 |
| September – Actual | 0 |
| October – Actual | 12,476 |
| Total | 92,963 |
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. 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 Repayment Contract Assessments
Assessment payments are due now and delinquent after November 15, 2018. A five percent penalty will be added after the delinquent date and water service will not be provided. Please contact Steve Farmer, Customer Accounting Supervisor at (559) 241-6240 for additional information about assessments.
Sustainable Groundwater Management Act
At the October 16th Board Meeting, District staff gave a presentation discussing a potential concept for managing the groundwater subbasin based on water levels and described the potential changes to groundwater management post- Groundwater Sustainability Plan. As a reminder, all meetings are open to public, and presentation materials are available on the District’s website. For additional information, contact Kiti Campbell at (559) 241-6226 or sgma@westlandswater.org.
Westlands Water Quality Coalition Members
The Westlands Water Quality Coalition (WWQC) will hold a Nitrogen Management Continuing Education Workshop on Thursday, November 8, 2018 from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM for members with Nitrogen Management Plan Self-Certification. The free workshop will be held at the Riverdale Memorial Hall, located at 3085 W. Mt. Whitney Ave, Riverdale, CA 93656. RSVP to Nicole Branum at (559) 241-6235 or nbranum@westlandswater.org.
In addition, the WWQC continues to seek coalition volunteers with wells screened above the Corcoran Clay, varying in depth from less than 200 feet to over 800 below ground surface, to participate in the Groundwater Quality Trend Monitoring (GQTM) Program. The GQTM Program is required by the Western Tulare Lake Basin General Order R5-2014-0001 (GO) and participation will involve minimal commitment and no cost. Water quality constituent sampling will occur once per year. If you have an Upper Zone well that might be a candidate or have any questions about the GQTM Program, please contact Debra Dunn at 559-241-6242 or ddunn@westlandswater.org.
Lease of District Owned Land
The District currently has approximately 13,000 acres of land available for lease in Fresno and Kings Counties. For a detailed list of available land, please contact Cork McIsaac of Agriculture Industries, Inc. at (916) 372-5595 or (800) 822-1415.
Bollibokka Fishing Club Reservations for 2019
Planning is underway for the 2019 season of the Bollibokka Fishing Club. The early reservation period opens to landowners and water users beginning on November 1, 2018 and continues through January 31, 2019. Please see the attached flyer for further information about the Bollibokka Fishing Club and how to make reservations.
Bollibokka Fishing Club Reservations for 2019
Reservations are being accepted for the Bollibokka Fishing Club for the 2019 season. All District landowners and water users are given first opportunity to reserve a fishing date.
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 has been known to have some of the best 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 27, 2019, and ends on November 15, 2019.
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.
This early opportunity to reserve a week at the Club ends on January 31, 2018, when reservations will be open to the general public. 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. 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. The cost is $7,350 per week.
The District utilizes the experienced fly fishing services of The Fly Shop in Redding, California to handle Club management activities. The Fly Shop will coordinate all uses of the property. It 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.com (email), or visit their 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.
Public Affairs Transition
Effective October 26, 2018, direct all media and public affairs requests to Johnny Amaral, Deputy General Manager of External Affairs. Gayle Holman has accepted a new position outside the District; during this transition period, please contact Johnny at jamaral@westlandswater.org or phone (559) 799-6192.
Holiday Office Closures & Water Ordering Procedures
District offices will be closed on Monday, November 12, 2018, in observance of Veterans Day and closed on Thursday, November 22, and Friday, November 23, 2018, in observance of Thanksgiving. The affected water ordering deadlines are as follows:
| For Water Use On | Place Water Order By |
| Saturday or Sunday – November 10 or 11 | Friday, November 9, 9:30 a.m. |
| Monday or Tuesday – November 12 or 13 | Friday, November 9, noon |
| Thursday or Friday – November 22 or 23 | Wednesday, November 21, 9:30 a.m. |
| Saturday, Sunday or Monday – November 24 or 25 and 26 | Wednesday, November 21, noon |
The emergency telephone number for after hours and holidays is (559) 224-1523.
Upcoming Planned Inspection and Repair Shutdown Schedule
| Dates | Lateral(s) | Scheduled Work |
| 10-22 to 10-26 | 19R & 34L | Quinquennial & Pumping Plant Painting |
| 10-29 to 11-1 | 28RB | Exterior Tank Painting |
| 10-29 to 11-2 | 30R &35L | Quinquennial & Pumping Plant Painting |
| 11-5 to 11-16 | 16R | Quinquennial Inspection & PLC Upgrades |
| 11-5 to 12-13-18 | 12RA | Interior Tank Painting |
| 11-26 to 11-30 | 20R | Quinquennial Inspection |
| 12-3 to 12-7 | 15L | Quinquennial Inspection |
| 12-10 to 12-14 | 38L | Quinquennial Inspection |
| 12-17 to 12-21 | 20L | Quinquennial Inspection |