By Don A. Wright
The Friant Water Authority board of directors met at the FWA headquarters in Lindsay on Monday, September 14, 2026 and online. The meeting began at 8:30am in closed session so they could talk about you behind your back. Not really. The Ralph M. Brown Act allows a public entity the ability to conduct business without the public present when the items concern litigation (pending, existing or possible), real property matters like real estate and personnel matters. Today there were eight items in closed session dealing with lawsuits and one real estate matter.
The Meeting
For us public types things got rolling at 10:00am and Chairman Rick Borges announced there was no reportable action from closed session. The was no public comment and the minutes were approved.
Next the committee reviewed the proposed 2026 budget, wait! What? Oh typo. The 2027 budget. CFO Wilson Orvis explained the difference between the Operations, Maintenance and Restoration budget and the General Membership Budget. Orvis said the OM&R budget is sliced into 12 equal amounts and billed monthly. The GM Budget is developed during committee meetings. Staff comes up with an anticipated amount of need and presents it to the board.
If I understand correctly the budget is going to run about $3 million. Now, Orvis is very good at what he does and he led the committee through the spread sheets showing the reasoning behind the figures. This is a public document and available online if you want to know more detail. The committee approved sending this on down the line to the full board.
Discussion
COO Eric Limas reported the Friant Kern Canal Middle Reach Capacity Correction Project will have construction bids by the October board meeting.
Ian Buck Macleod began to give his report when, and I quote from the Microsnot on screen message, “Hold on. Looks like something went wrong.” By the time I was able to get back into the meeting I hear Buck Macleod say San Luis Reservoir had its low in the middle of July and is in good shape. There has been transfer water moving through both the federal Jones and state Banks plants in the Delta and he’s still trying to get the color accounting information for August.
Borges reported the packet contained a water report from 2025. Again the time warp has plagued Friant report preparation. Buck Macleod, pro that he is, was able to switch to the correct year.
On the Millerton Lake subject he said there was a lot of discussion about El Nino. There’s a 75-percent chance it could be record breaking temperature variance along the California coast. That can point to a very wet year. He said about 350,000 a/f could be the flood control level depending on what happens upstream at Mammoth Pool. He also said there has been very little lower San Joaquin River Restoration Flows recapture in August.
Golden Mussel
Engineer Katie Duncan reported the same monitoring going on is still going on. The primary energy has been spent with the emergency golden mussel treatment plan to be sure there is a policy in place for this coming year. This is extra important if Cross Valley Canal imports. There is another State Water Resources Control Board review to approve any treatment plan and the US Bureau of Reclamation is looking at things as well so there can be a NEPA approval.
Duncan said the furthest detection in the Friant Kern Canal was near Poso Creek within 22 miles of the FKC terminus in Kern County. Dudek Engineering is conducting a study on how the golden mussel veligers will survive in Millerton Lake. She said samples were taken earlier this year from the Kings and Kaweah Rivers and the Kings is mussel free. Monitoring for golden mussels will be required to introduce any water into the FKC.
San Luis Delta Mendota
CEO Johnny Amaral reported for Orvis who is actually in a San Luis Delta Mendota Water Authority Finance Committee meeting that very little is happening at this time to report on. Ok.
However, Amaral was rightly stoked about Thursday October 1st, 9:00am groundbreaking ceremony at Teapot Dome WD’s FKC turnout. There will be many reasons to celebrate. That is also the same day as the California Water Alliance’s annual luncheon/water forum at Belmont Country Club in Fresno starting at 11:30am.
That was about it for this meeting and the committee adjourned at 10:35am. Go be good to yourselves and others.
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FRIANT WATER AUTHORITY
854 N. Harvard Ave., Lindsay, CA 93247, Office 559/562-6305 Email:information@friantwater.org www.friantwater.org
The Friant Water Authority is a Joint Powers Agreement with 15 districts to operate and maintain the Friant Division of the Central Valley Water Project. Water from the San Joaquin River is diverted at Friant Dam at Millerton Lake to the Madera/Chowchilla Canal to the north and the Friant/Kern Canal to the south. More than one million acres of mostly family farms and numerous communities get their surface supplies from the Friant Division.
Board: Chair Rick Borges
Staff: CEO Johnny Amaral, COO Eric Limas, CFO Wilson Orvis, Water Resources Manager Ian Buck-Macleod, Engineer Katie Duncan, Superintendent Chris Hickernell & Attorney Julie Gantenbein
