By Don A. Wright
The Friant Water Authority board of directors met at the Bello Vita Event Venue in Visalia on Thursday, April 24, 2024 and online. Friant has had a couple of wins lately. The end is in sight for the repairs to the canal. The allocations are increasing to good, workable levels. An historic east/west agreement between the members of the South of Delta Central Valley Project entities: Friant and San Luis Delta Mendota is coming together. There’s more laughter during the meetings and that’s always preferable to consternation.
The Meeting
The open session commenced at 10:02am. Things started with CEO Jason Phillips announcing the passing of Kole Upton. Upton is a former Chair of Friant and guided the organization through some very difficult times. He was a good man and all of us in the water world owe him gratitude. Our prayers for his family in this time of mourning. We’ve lost some folks with an incredible amount of institutional knowledge of water. Upton, Family Farm Alliance’s Patrick O’Toole and Columbia Canal Company General Manager Randy Houk.
The consent calendar was passed meaning the minutes are ok and the bills will be paid.
Action Items
Katie Duncan, engineer asked the board to authorize an application to participate in the US Bureau of Reclamation’s snow water supply forecasting grant program. I believe this is to continue funding the very well received Airborne Snow Observatory flights. The board agreed.
Phillips spoke about amending the FWA bylaws to allow appointing a board member to the San Luis Delta Mendota Water Authority board. With help from the US Bureau of Reclamation, Friant and San Luis Delta Mendota have reached an understanding that will help them in resolving differences. I thought I heard Tulare Irrigation District Director Rick Borges’ name mentioned as an ideal candidate to drive out to Los Banos and attend meetings couple of times a month.
Bureau Matters
Next Karl Stock, USBR Regional Director of the California-Great Basin – also known as Interior Region 10 – addressed the Friant Board. Stock is taking the position formerly held by Ernest Conant. Stock said he grew up in New Mexico and got a degree in economics. He said he likes this region. He’s worked with Phillips and Local Bureau Manager Michael Jackson and is familiar with the Central Valley Project.
Stock said his first goal for the Bureau is to meet the staffing needs so the services the Bureau is obligated to provide can be accomplished. He said regardless of the type of hydrologic year the operations are complex. I think he said Kristin White is in charge of ops and she is good. He also praised Jackson and his team for doing a good job in a job which can never make everyone happy.
The infrastructure of the CVP has portions that are close to 90-years old. Stock said there is $3.2 billion worth of taxpayer funded money in the Biden admin’s spend more/print more plan. (That’s not exactly a verbatim transcript of his comment.) He said having the staff to develop plans to deal with the aging infrastructure can be put into play.
Stock said he’s happy with the progress of Friant and San Luis playing nice. He said he wants the best science in determining Delta operations.
Director George Porter asked if the Bureau is having trouble retaining employees. Stock said the per capita infrastructure spending went from $15 to $45. Of the 17 Western States in his district only California pays more than the federal government. He said hiring mid-level, ready to go isn’t an option for the Bureau. He said they emphasize hiring newer candidates and implementing rigorous training. You’ve heard of the golden parachute, he said they have golden handcuffs. The pay increases are designed to provide incremental incentives.
Stock said he wants to learn more about the views held by Friant (and I think by implication all CVP participants.) It was pointed out the ASO is a very good tool. Stock said he believes the current, available science should show more flexibility in pumping. Many times the regulatory enforcements don’t equal any improvement for the species. He said building relationships with the regulators so they will incorporate the improved science should yield more pumping and a healthier Delta ecology. Good for him.
Phillips said Friant appreciates how difficult it is to allocate water and pointed out Jackson has done a good job. He said the Bureau and Friant staff are working well together.
General Updates
Stantec Engineering’s Janet Atkinson gave the board an update on the Friant Kern Canal repairs. She said things are coming along to the point the work force is currently about 50 down from a couple of hundred men and women. The stretch with twin canals are now both watered at least in part. They don’t wait until the entire project is complete to start filling it with water. There is more paving of the canal lining going on I believe. She said there were a few panels that had to be replaced.
During the very wet 2023 Deer Creek flooded and unfortunately it was right in the middle of the new canal construction. They had made plans for increased flows but it went off the scale. Now the Deer Creek siphon and gates are all operational. There is a need for new turnouts of course. These are being completed. In fact I think I heard more than 90 percent of the project is finished and it looks like the project will be totally completed ahead of schedule. Good for them. There are two permanent “plugs” needed to be installed, north and south. After that all that’s left is repaving the road crossings over the canals and traffic will improve in the area.
Phillips said thanks for the reports and how helpful they have been. He said what would have been impossible not so long ago has been accomplished in just a few years. There are pump stations and phases still to do. He thanked Director Edwin Camp for pushing this project. He expects to have a celebration in mid-May. Friant staff is chomping at the bit to push 2,400 cfs through the new facilities. He told Camp and Arvin Edison WSD to get ready, they don’t want the water to go into the Kern River.
Bump Pack Pump Back
Duncan gave an update on the pump back project. She said it is the first project she worked on with Friant and she loves it. The regulatory hoops are being jumped through with Environmental Impact Reports, CEQA and such. The project would move water “upstream” during certain times. Water could be introduced into the Friant Kern Canal’s southern end by way of the Cross Valley Canal. Then you got to move north in a system that gravity flows south. There are three proposed choices, high flow, low flow and seasonal flows.
Water Report
Ian Buck-Macleod reported this is an average water year, which is a rare occurrence. There was a bit of a heat wave last week that kicked up snowmelt. But things are cooling and there could be a half inch of precipitation in the San Joaquin River watershed from an incoming weather pattern.
He said he expects Lake Shasta and Folsom to fill by the end of May and there should be good carryover storage available. South of the Delta there’s a catch. The steelhead threshold has been hit and that triggers a re-consultation with the Fishy Folks. Winter run salmon is also on the radar currently. There are other rakes to step on depending on how much flows are entering the Delta. But there could also be other improvements too. For instance South of Delta demands are lower than predicted and it looks like San Luis Reservoir could fill.
Friant is at 100 percent Class I and five percent Class II. Mammoth Pool is spilling and going down stream with 20,000 a/f hitting Millerton Lake. There could be a spill and that means a possible uncontrolled season. That means cheaper water. This is the time of year when snowmelt and high elevation cooling keeps everyone guessing and that’s why there are ASO flights. There should be a couple more flights this year. Good for them.
Buck-Macleod said unreleased restoration flows, URFs may come into play later in the summer if the spill is very small or doesn’t happen. That was a pretty report compared to some.
Gov’t Mischief
Consultant Mike Villines gave his report saying there are four bills of interest to talk about. The budget and the climate bond are bouncing up and down. Governor Gavin Newsom has embraced the education bond but not any of the other bonds clamoring for attention.
Villines said the bills AB 2661 by Esmerelda Soria will direct the PUC to study what photovoltaic will look like. It’s gaining a lot of support. He advocated Friant’s support.
AB 2079 by Steven Bennett is a well killer and has received a lot of attention. It may not have a direct impact on Friant but it needs to be opposed as it is detrimental to agriculture. There has already been a good deal of pushback and Bennett said he’ll take amendments. Bennett’s singing the same song as last year and Villines recommends opposition. Johnny Amaral said this bill does harm.
Phillips said Friant used to have a process for taking positions on bills but they drifted away from doing so. This needs to come back into play. He would like to see the executive committee have a standing item for bill reviews. He also said the Water Blueprint of the San Joaquin Valley took an oppose position on this bill.
SB 1154 by Melisa Hurtado will require more financial disclosure from elected officials sitting on GSAs. It’s scooting through like greased goose guts. Villines said there is some heartburn with it but Hurtado has always been easy to talk with.
AB 1828 by Damon Connolly is a bit suspect. Villines said Connolly likes ag and has been easier to work with than you might expect for a Marin County elected. This bill will exempt disadvantaged communities and wetlands from GSAs. He said this bill is controversial and it’s a two-year bill so it’s under deadline. If it doesn’t get out of the Assembly this week it dies. Villines recommended leaning toward opposition.
Director Edwin Camp asked if Assembly and State Senate office holders have to take the same ethics and sexual harassment training that water district directors do. The answer is yes but nobody knows if they passed the quiz at the end of training.
Next Johnny Amaral said there was a tour for Metropolitan Water District and there is a DWR tour coming up next week. Later today there will be a Water Education Foundation tour. There’s an ACWA conference coming up soon in Sacramento.
The Friant annual meeting will be in Madera County this year. The meeting has entertainment and food. Also meeting stuff. It’s at the San Joaquin Winery on May 16th. These are fun gatherings. I’ve heard it won’t be box wine.
Amaral said in DC the Senate is in season and the House is out. Just under $100 billion for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan is front and center. Speaker Mike Johnson and the Republicans have a razor thin majority in the House.
Amaral showed photos of silt curtains installed in the new and improved FKC and they are doing a pretty good job. Folks are getting excited about the new portions of the canal. Eric Quinley, GM of Delano Earlimart ID said he wasn’t sure which district has been complaining about water quality in the past but he appreciates the silt screen. Even though as Camp mentioned, it wasn’t a salt screen.
O&M
Chris Hickernell reported on repairs and maintenance of the canal and the Friant system in general. He said the electrical portion of the FKC is ready to go by the grand
opening. He said the information and technology portion of the report is best read. It’s kind of long for a verbal recitation in a meeting.
Blueprint
Austin Ewell reported there is a draft MOU with Metropolitan WD and the Water Blueprint of the San Joaquin Valley on projects of mutual benefit and it looks like ACWA is going to sign on as well. There has been a feasibility study by Friant, Fresno State University and the Bureau about moving more surface water into the Valley. Ewell said there might be more coming from Fresno State.
CEO Report
Phillips said he had the opportunity and privilege to join San Luis Delta Mendota’s CEO Federico Barajas at the Solar Over Canals event out by Los Banos somewhere. He said Gov Gav showed up. That wasn’t the only reason Phillips showed up. There is a pumping
plant that needs to be operational. He said while Gav was talking a rainbow appaired but there were no measurable unicorn farts. At the spring ACWA conference there is a panel titled “Is ACWA Doing its Part”. I guess we’ll find out then.
Many of the sons and daughters of the folks in this room are serving in our armed forces. We want to remember them in our prayers as well. Phillips quit talking and we all rushed to the buffet for food grown by farmers.
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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2023 by Don A. Wright
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 Jim Erickson, Vice Chair Rick Borges
Staff: CEO Jason Phillips, COO Johnny Amaral, CFO Wilson Orvis, Water Resources Manager Ian Buck-Macleod, Engineer Katie Duncan, Superintendent Chris Hickernell and Attorney Don Davis.
