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Exchange Contractors July 1, 2022

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JOBS/HELP WANTED

By Don A. Wright

The Exchange Contractors board of directors met on Friday, July 1, 2022 at its Los Banos headquarters. Chairman Chris Cardella called the meeting to order at 8:00am and started things with a flag salute. Shouldn’t all public meetings do so?

The Meeting

The minutes were approved and Joann White gave a great financial report. So good in fact the board agreed to pay its bills and approve her and the staff’s bookkeeping.

EX Director

Executive Director Chris White reported the Jones Plant doubled its output to two units. Salinity in the Delta has been restricting things a bit but by Tuesday new flows should sweeting things. In response by Monday the US Bureau of Reclamation will be cutting back San Joaquin River releases so 300 cfs will arrive at Mendota Pool.

The recent public workshop in Los Banos on the new Ex Con/San Luis Delta Mendota Water Authority headquarters and museum had a decent turnout with plenty of input. Folks were receptive and excited about the project and enough input was received to get the architect to start on some preliminary work.

Policy

            Steve Chedester gave an update on the Bureau’s design package for the Mendota Pool bypass with comments due by the 18th. The financial assistance agreement is still being developed. He’s waiting for an update on the design but he’s hopeful. He was on a call with John Wiersma, General Manager of San Luis Canal Company and the Bureau about Reach Three and things are still behind schedule. Reach Two B has a 30 percent design completion for levees by the end of August.Technoflo

Bay Delta

            Dave Cory reported the CV Salt is working on modeling. He said while the nitrate side is still implementing the management zone there has been more interest in salts. He said it looks like the Regional Board won’t issue a notice to comply until about this time next year. He said the nitrogen monitoring at the township level to determine how much is getting into the aquifer is due by the end of the month. He reminded everyone this is going to vary by region throughout the valley.

Water Report

            Adam Hoffman gave his report saying 2,100 cfs is the Ex Con demand and this is in line with last year. It’s hot. He said the San Joaquin River releases are ramping down to 600 cfs from a peak of 1,650 cfs. The last time 600 cfs was released was January and that yielded 300 cfs at Mendota Pool. I think I heard him said 300 cfs released at Friant this time of year will yield 200 cfs at the Pool.

Hoffman said 4,500 cfs is being released at Shasta. The federal side of San Luis Reservoir is drawing down but the increased pumping should bolster that somewhat. Millerton is starting to draw down as well but is at 85 percent of average. Upstream reservoirs are at 88 percent so, it could be worse.

Delta operations are benefiting from releases at Folsom Reservoir. He said there is plenty of outflow from Folsom. He said the cross channel gates have been opened in the Delta and one of the highest tides of the year is coming. He said the Bureau is hoping to start three pumps by the 5th. Banks is at zero pumping as repairs are taking place and should wrap up soon. However, the state and the feds are not sharing Jones output.

Water Resource

Chedester gave an update on Orestimba Creek saying the report is good, I didn’t catch which report but it was needed to get things moving on that project. He said the streambed alteration report has been completed and that permit is in the works. He sounded like he has hope DWR will be cooperative. A grant has come in so that’s helpful. A recent tour given to the Bureau was a good move and some key folks were informed.

Chedester reported a big SJV Blueprint meeting was held at Fresno State University with California Secretary of Ag Karen Ross, DWR’s Paul Gosselin and Eric Ekdahl from the State Board in attendance.

White reported the Del Puerto Dam project has had some core drilling take place and that will help with the design of the dam.

Legislative

White reported lobbyists are saying Sacramento is about ready to take a break and then come back later to clean up whatever messes are left. In Washington DC the Roe v. Wade/Senate gun control and other issues have been overshadowing much of what is of direct legislative importance to the Valley. This is mostly infrastructure funding. That was about it.

Mendota Pool

White said earlier this year in March Ex Con met with the Mendota Pool Group and approved the 2022 program. The extremely dry situation has changed things. The Bureau said no. However, some pumping has taken place to move the water thanks to cooperation by Westlands Water District. There is some water at the Pool waiting to be transferred but again an OK from the Bureau is needed. He said consultant Chase Hurley has requested a letter of approval to allow pumping through July although it won’t be the full amount. Hurley was on the phone and said while it looks like the Westlands WD plan will work he still needs a letter from Ex Con to move forward. He said there won’t be anywhere near the amount pumped under this plan than under normal year conditions. The board approved signing the letter. It didn’t hurt that Hurley had built up years of goodwill as the manager of San Luis Canal Company.

Attorney Report

            Andy McClure reported the Del Puerto Dam case had someone at the court get sick and that’s been on hold. He also said the Friant suit about the Bureau sending Ex Con water down the San Joaquin River has been ruled in Ex Con’s favor. He hasn’t heard if an appeal will be filed or not.

Four Managers

            Jarret Martin, General Manager Central California Irrigation District said CCID has got it so together it’s focused on winter projects.

Wiersma said deliveries are at average and they are fully staffed now. Maintenance is on go get it done time. Aquatic weeds are a problem if I heard correctly. The budget has been approved and design of capital projects is being readied.

Randy Houk, GM Columbia Canal Company said everything is running as expected, deliveries and maintenance

Jeff Bryant, GM Firebaugh Canal Water District said he’s watching allocations and working on environmental work.

Info Items

White said July 5th will be the Groundwater Sustainability Agency meeting. He said they are on track to meet the Groundwater Sustainability Plan rewrite deadline of, July 17th I believe is the date. There will be an August 18th and 19th Ag Leadership Tour. Houk took a moment to thank Martin for his hard work on the GSP. I believe I heard Cardella say there will be a meeting at Fresno State University coming up to discuss the next federal farm bill.

Closed Session

The meeting adjourned to closed session at 9:43am for eight items ranging from lawsuits to real estate negotiations to personnel matters; the big three under the Brown Act. This was a very short meeting for Ex Con. Good for them. I suspect they wanted to get ready to celebrate our great nation’s birthday Monday the 4th. God bless America.

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SAN JOAQUIN RIVER EXCHANGE CONTRACTORS WATER AUTHORITY

Main Office: 541 H Street, P.O. Box 2115 Los Banos, CA 93653 Office 209/827-8616 www.sjrecwa.net Email: contactus@sjrecwa.net

DWR SGMA Identifier #5-022.07

The Exchange Contractors cover almost a quarter of a million acres in Fresno, Madera, Merced and Stanislaus Counties.

Mission Statement

The Exchange Contractors Water Authority mission is to effectively protect the Exchange Contract and maximize local water supply, flexibility and redundancy in order to maintain local control over the members’ water supply.

Board

Chris Cardella Columbia Canal Company -Chair, Mike Stearns Firebaugh Canal Water District -Vice Chair, James L. Nickel-Treasurer San Luis Canal Company, Eric Fontana -Director Central California Irrigation District

Staff

Chris White-Executive Director, Steve Chedester- Director Policies & Programs, Adam Hoffman-Water Resources Specialist, Joann White-Director Finance and Human Resources, Darlene O’Brien- Administrative Assistant, Paul Minasian-Attorney

History

From the Exchange Contractors’ website: www.sjrecwa.net The San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors hold some of the oldest water rights in the state, dating back to the late 1800s. The rights were established by Henry Miller of the legendary Miller and Lux cattle empire. In 1871, Henry Miller constructed canals to divert water from the San Joaquin and North Fork of the Kings Rivers for irrigation of his vast acreage. Today, several of the original Miller and Lux canals are operated by the Exchange Contractors.

Although Henry Miller’s canals served the irrigation needs of his estate in the western portion of Fresno, Madera, Merced, and Stanislaus counties, in order for more growth on the east side of the San Joaquin Valley to occur, more water was needed. In 1933, the United States Department of Interior undertook the Central Valley Project, a vast undertaking to build dams throughout the great Central Valley including the Sacramento, American and San Joaquin Rivers. When construction of the Friant Dam (north of Fresno) was under consideration, feasibility studies showed that irrigation development of the Friant Project between Chowchilla and Bakersfield depended upon water being diverted from the San Joaquin River at Friant Dam and brought to the east side of the valley, via the Friant-Kern Canal.

To accomplish this, the government asked the heirs of Miller and Lux to agree to “exchange” where they receive their pre-1914 appropriative and riparian water from the San Joaquin and Kings Rivers for guaranteed deliveries of “substitute” water from the Sacramento River by means of the Delta-Mendota Canal and other facilities of the United States. This agreement, known as the “Exchange Contract,” along with the accompanying “Purchase Contract,” were reached in 1939 and that led to the name “San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors.” In normal years, the Exchange Contractors are guaranteed 100% of their contractual water allotment (840,000 acre feet) and in critical years the amount is 75% (650,000 a/f).

The Exchange Contractors, however, did not abandon their San Joaquin River water rights. Instead, they agreed not to exercise those San Joaquin and Kings Rivers’ water rights if guaranteed water deliveries continued through the Delta-Mendota Canal or other facilities of the United States.

 

 

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