By Joel Hastings
The board of directors meeting of the Chowchilla Water District was called to order by President Roger Schuh at 1:30 p.m. on July 15 at the district offices. With public comment invited, Jason McKee of Greenleaf Ag, a water treatment company, introduced himself and his firm that is working with the water industry in the Valley to control the spread of the golden mussel, an invasive species that is creating problems for all sorts of underwater facilities. With no natural predators and a rapid rate of
reproduction, the bi-valve which can be an inch and a half or so in length plugs piping, intakes and any exposed underwater opening. He said the mussels can shut off a 12-inch pipe within six months. He said because the water chemistry and temperature are ideal for the populations, it is almost a matter of “not if but when” the pest would have to be dealt with. He said his firm can exterminate them with a compound using copper hydrate. He explained he and his team will be available at any time for consultation.
Following this brief discussion, President Schuh invited guests to introduce themselves. Among those present were Zach Griffen of Water and Land Solutions, a regular here, along with Geoff Vanden Heuvel of the Milk Producers Council and Christa Eritzian of WaterOne.AI.
GSA
The board then convened as the GSA board with Resource Manager Doug Welch giving a brief update on the ongoing discussions about subsidence. He said SGMA provided 20 years for projects to be implemented to bring water use into balance but now the State Board and DWR are asking for plans that will much more quickly end land subsidence caused by groundwater pumping. Working with engineering firms and neighboring GSAs, Welch said there is an effort to both measure and then mitigate but it’s not clear at this time exactly what might be required.
The Meeting
Returning to the regular meeting agenda, the board heard from visitor Brad Samuelson, general manager of the Le Grand-Athlone Water District, with a detailed overview on the intertie pipeline connecting Merced Irrigation District infrastructure to the Chowchilla River. Phase 1 is operational and delivering water to growers, some of whom previously had no access to surface water for irrigation. Phases 2 & 3 are 100 percent designed with a $30 million grant from EPA for construction expected to close in October to be repaid by the district with a 218 vote.
Phase 4 is a 1.65 mile bi-directional pipeline that will reach the Chowchilla River with a combination of 47-inch pipe and tunnel delivering up to 125 cubic feet of water per second (cfs). The cost is estimated at $4 million with $242,000 needed for design engineering. The Chowchilla board has a million-dollar USDA rural development grant that could be used here, with arrangements for water deliveries and costs to be worked out. Samuelson said that while the plan calls for complete ownership by LGAWD, he expressed confidence the opportunity for new water coming into CWD would allow a satisfactory mutual agreement. Since this was informational item only on the agenda, the board had some questions but took no action.
Finances
Continuing with the agenda, the board approved the treasurer’s report presented by Office Manager April Ellison who cited the balances – beginning balance on June 1 of $18,513,108.61, receipts of $1,184,598.16, disbursements of $971,073.28 with a July 1 total of $18,726,633.50. Also approved was the warrant’s list of bills on the general account amounting to $621,773.92. The budget versus actual accounts were considered in order as well. The minutes of the June 17 special meeting were approved.
O&M
Director of Operations Chris Mayo delivered his O & M report showing lake storage at Eastman had reduced by 15,122 AF and at Millerton by 68,291 AF. He listed maintenance activity removing vegetation, repairing leaks and installing gauges and meters. His listing of equipment repaired in the shop showed a good bit of work on vehicle air conditioners as well as other routine service.
GM Report
In his general manager’s report, Brandon Tomlinson referred to his letter to the district saying water deliveries would be winding down on August 3 or a few days after to drain the system. The directors said that almond harvest would be starting at least in some of their orchards about the last week in July, with a reduced demand for water. He gave an update on the WildEye smart meter pulse hardware, working to integrate readers with the CanalSTORM accounting platform. This new system may allow
discounted water rates on weekend and off-peak times. He hopes the system will be in place by the end of the season.
He said there would need to be a special board meeting in closed session to consider the revised and updated contract with High-Speed Rail. The group settled on July 29 at 11 a.m., even though several of the directors will be into harvest.
Directors Report
Directors’ reports conclude the meeting and Nathan Ray reported on conversations with the Green Hill community and the Pheasant Ridge Golf Course on the east side of Chowchilla. The golf course management firm, Sierra Golf, is a water customer and they along with the housing development had inquired about using some of their ponds for recharge if water could be made available. With more detail needed about pond size and soil types underneath, there will be more conversation.
http://www.pumpsight.com
Ray also asked about deliveries of water to subordinate lands which had been approved when an additional 4900 A/F had been obtained. The board had approved a rate of $500 / AF. Tomlinson said about 2000 AF had been sold so far and it might amount to close to 3000 AF by season’s end. With no further reports, the meeting was adjourned about 2:45 p.m.
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Chowchilla Water District – PO Box 905 – 327 So. Chowchilla Ave., Chowchilla, CA 93610 559/665-3747 website www.cwdwater.com
Staff: General Manager – Brandon Tomlinson; General Resource Manager – Douglas Welch
Board: Roger Schuh – President, Karun Samran – Vice President, Russell Harris, Nathan Ray and Vince Taylor
PROFILE: Formed in 1949, the Chowchilla Water District serves about 85,000 acres situated in southern Merced County and northern Madera County on the eastside of the San Joaquin Valley. The District serves about 85,000 acres in southern Merced and northern Madera Counties. It’s over 400 water users have an average farm size of about 162 acres. Buchanan Dam was constructed in 1975 and is operated and maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The maximum capacity of the dam is 150,000 acre-feet and has a maximum conservation capacity of 140,000 acre-feet. The District also has appropriative water rights issued by the State Water Resources Control Board to divert water from the Chowchilla River. The Madera Canal supplies water from Friant Dam to the Chowchilla Water District. The District has contracted with the Bureau of Reclamation for 55,000 acre-feet of Class 1 Water and 160,000 acre-feet of Class 2 Water. With Madera ID, the District owns the Madera-Chowchilla Water & Power Authority which operates the Madera Canal and four hydroelectric power plants located on the Madera Canal.
The Chowchilla Subbasin’s DWR # is 5-022.06
