By Don A. Wright
The Friant Water Authority board of directors met at the Bello Vita Event Venue in Visalia on Thursday, September 26, 2024. There were several other gatherings on the same day, like the JHS Marketing sponsored Crop Consultant Conference at the Visalia Convention Center. I was told more than 1,000 people attended the event/trade show. Good for them.
Another important event was a symposium at Fresno State University hosted by the CSU WATER. That’s California State University, Water Advocacy Towards Education & Research, representing all 23 CSU campus across the state. Former Fresno State biology professor and now CSU-WATER Executive Director Dr. Steve Blumenshine brought 24 speakers
together for information exchanges and panel discussions. It was a bit of a who’s who in California academic water circles: in addition to Blumenshine FSU President Dr. Saul Jimenez-Sandoval, FSU Dean of Agriculture Dr. Rolston St. Hilaire, CSU Chancellor Dr. Ganesh Raman, Center for Irrigation Technology Drs. Karl Longley and Charles Hillyer, California Water Institute’s Laura Ramos and Sarge Green. And that’s only part of the folks. There were also representatives from Farm Bureaus, Water Districts, Groundwater Sustainability Agencies and water related nonprofits.
One of the highlights were visiting professors Drs. Christian Sponagel and Julian Bomer from the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart, Germany. There was a great deal of information shared about how agricultural landscapes can be key to sustainable water management and adaptive management. The event was sponsored by the good people at American Pistachio Growers and Aqua 4D.
The Meeting
Things got rolling when closed session stopped at 10:07am and Chairman Jim Erickson asked Director Cliff Loeffler to start things with a prayer. Before he began Loeffler announced the passing of a long time Exeter Irrigation District director. Director Steve Kisling had a correction in the minutes and that was noted. With that the rest of the consent calendar was approved, which was limited to minutes and paying the bills.
Action Items
Jason Phillips, CEO began by discussing the Operations, Maintenance & Repair budget. Phillips said the draft was approved for comments by the Executive Committee. Phillips said there are comments on page 104 of the agenda. He said there needs to be clarity on the subject – Friant now has the OM&R. The US Bureau of Reclamation has turned those keys over. He said the FWA needs all the tools available to protect and maintain the Friant Kern Canal. The dispute is about whether or not legal fees can be charged to OM&R.
Friant is suing the Eastern Tule Groundwater Sustainability Agency and those legal fees are being proposed to come from the OM&R account. Some members believe these fees should come from an activity agreement. Phillips was adamant this would handcuff Friant. There are no restrictions on using OM&R for legal fees if I understood correctly. Some have expressed the belief the Bureau would have to allow the OM&R account to be used for legal fees, but Phillips and by implication the Friant legal advisors say that Friant isn’t under that constraint. The budget was passed with the ability to charge legal fees against the OM&R account. Not all members agreed but they were out voted.
Canal Liner
Katie Duncan, FWA Engineer next told the board the FKC needs some new canal liners along its length here and there. There is also a little left over money available from the recent major canal repair so there will be no extra cost to Friant. That made everyone a little happier and the board voted go for it.
COLA
Wilson Orvis, Chief Financial Officer told the board Friant’s fiscal year is the same as the water year – October through September. FWA pays its employees in part with soda pop – whether Coke or Pepsi doesn’t matter as long as they get their cost of living allowance. The board agreed it was time to kick it up a notch so employees will receive a modest pay increase.
Public Presentation by the Gov’t
Phillips said there has been some good cooperation and coordination with the Bureau and to settle back for about an hour long presentation about what is happening with the federal and state governments’ water folk.
The first to speak was the USBR’s Kristin White, Deputy Regional Director who wanted to talk about the drought. She said there has been progress on drought preparedness by virtue of the 400,000 a/f in San Luis Reservoir. Hmm? First time I’ve heard that take. She said there has been a cultural change in South Valley agriculture that has allowed this cooperation. I’ve heard there has been a cultural change at the Bureau as well. Alright very different view on how federal water is being used from what the South of Delta Central Valley Project contracts have voiced in public.
White said Bureau staff has been challenged on just about everything done by the Bureau. From allocations to the Fall X2 to how much is kept in storage. She said the Bureau forecast is based on the San Luis Reservoir low point and she believes strongly this is the best way to determine allocations. She thanked Friant Water Resource Manager Ian Buck-Macleod for helping with further development of this plan. She said there are many
different colors of water in San Luis and those colors (categories) are not usually shown as separate and that needs to be more transparent. How those colors are used will factor in on how the allocations will made – how will the water be used is a question that needs to be asked.
White said the Bureau’s allocation process is not meant to be a black box. She said the Bureau is trying to become more transparent and informative. She welcomed folks to submit ideas of how to achieve this. Director Matt Lieder asked if there are plans to help make the information more predictable. White said it would be dangerous to rely on early forecasts and she has said both the Bureau and the Department of Water Resources need to work from the same spreadsheet or all chaos will break out. Yes, there must be coordination to get water through the Delta to where it needs to go. She cited a number of state and federal grants to fund the Airborne Snow Observatory.
Lieder asked why the westside contractors are so fired up this year. White said she can’t speak for the westside contractors but things have changed in the past 10-years which to me sounded like a reference to the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.
Phillips agreed the allocations have changed in the past decade. He said Friant is hearing from some westside contractors about their displeasure with the allocations and that is concerning to Friant. He asked if there is a way for everyone to be informed about the allocations and have some wider agreements. White said this is something the Bureau’s team is looking at improving and welcomed Phillip’s observation.
Next Derya Sumer, USBR’s Drought Plan Modeling Division Manager spoke. I couldn’t hear her and to be fair to Miss Derya I wasn’t able to grasp enough of the highly technical subject of her presentation to give you a good description. My apologies.
A new face at the Bureau’s Fresno office, Rain Emerson Deputy Area Manager working under Michael Jackson spoke next. Emerson said there is more focus on the San Luis Reservoir reports and accounting to be released as soon as possible while keeping it as accurate as possible. She reminded everyone there’s about a month’s lag time from receiving the data and releasing it. However, if I understood, this is a quicker time frame than it used to be. Phillips said he’s a big fan of getting things documented and that will be helpful for any upcoming policy changes.
The next speaker is the always fun Don Portz, USBR’s Program Manager, San Joaquin River Restoration Program. Phillips said Friant supports this program as when the agreement was signed almost two decades ago the Bureau turned it over to its star program manager. If I recall correctly – and I do – that program manager was named Jason Phillips. He said there are many big milestones to celebrate and he wants to be sure it’s known Friant supports this.
Portz said the first time he spoke to Friant he came alone and now he’s brought four others. So, the program is growing as are the fish. There were also folks from DWR, his counterpart Alexi Phillips and some other state employees from the Department of Fish & Wildlife.
Portz said there is more money heading towards the SJRRP and the goal is a self-sustaining spring run salmon population. He said there are a number of infrastructure projects and they are expensive. Like many government projects there are problems with underfunding. An updated 10-year plan hinges on some additional funding proposed in the Senate.
“Excited” is the word Portz used for the fish’s future. He walked us through a map of the projects along the SJR on screen. He said two projects, the Chowchilla Bypass and the Mendota Pool project are both fish passage projects. SCARF, Salmon Conservation & Research Facility is a half a million dollar fish hatchery upgrade.
Gerald Hattler from California Fish &Wildlife said this new and improved facility is just downstream from Friant Dam and it’s the first of its kind. It’s a kind of breeding barn for salmon. A diversity of DNA is used to help keep the population healthy, brood stock is brought in from the Sacramento River. He thanked FWA and DWR for their help. This facility works on as low as 20 cfs flows. There is also a trout hatchery next to this facility. The hope is a quarter of a million new salmon can be released annually from this facility. Hattler also thanked the Bureau for help in funding.
Alexi Phillips spoke next and said Hattler had covered much of what needs to be said. Loeffler said he toured the site of the hatchery when Portz first started. He’s very happy to see the progress. He asked about O&M funding and she said they need to find out more about this. Hattler said state funding for O&M runs out at the end of the year.
Portz said Wade Crowfoot, California Secretary of Natural Resources has written a letter of support and that’s good to hear. He said there are actually four bottle necks along the SJR where the young salmon are having difficulty reaching the ocean.
Alexi said the Eastside Bypass is the furthest downstream fish passage. She said she is passionate about this structure. The other place is the Chowchilla Bifurcation Structure. A fish passage is needed there. It is at the start of the planning phase and she acknowledged costs have blown up and she has to get some solid estimates in the pocket. Alexi said she is completely committed to this program.
Phillips asked if these extra costs have been inserted into the schedule and he would like a long-term plan. I’m hearing from Portz there will be dirt starting to move this coming year. Eric Quinley, GM Delano Earlimart ID asked how much costs are inflating. Alexi said right now the Eastside Bypass is running $16 million but that’s going up. Portz said the feds and the state are working together on funding.
Mendota Dam is part of Reach Two B. Two B is a $7 million project and there isn’t enough money in the coffer to fix all of this area. However, there are plans to put in a fish channel to keep the salmon out of the Mendota Pool. There be monsters there. The old, all too familiar, non-native predators are in the Mendota Pool and there are many unscreened diversions all working together to mess up the salmon. If I understood correctly there is money available to get this started although the project will have to be completed in phases.
Portz said he expects to break ground on the Sack Dam fish screen. There will be a fish screen and channel diversion to keep fish from swimming into the nearby Arroyo Canal. There are millions of dollars tucked away for this portion of the project.
Jackson was the next speaker. He said when there are “bubble” years, when things go in and out of uncontrolled season, the chance to lose water that could be applied to recharge and other vital usages is greater. He said the local, Fresno office is involved. He said like Friant watches the westside, the westside is watching Friant. He said Southern California 
Edison has been a fantastic partner. They have helped with low point flows and other matters. He is keeping as many involved and informed as possible and looking to improve the results of these efforts.
Fergus Morrisey, GM Orange Cove ID asked about how changes in electrical power can impact operations. Jackson said while he isn’t an expert on the Cal ISO it is a big ship to turn around. Quinley asked if there is an ability to have a serious discussion about updating allocations based at least partly on fall storms. Jackson said yes. He also let everyone know he’s happy to have White at the Sacramento Bureau offices.
Lastly for this part of the agenda, Rufino Gonzalez, USBR Acting Operations Chief Friant, spoke. Gonzalez said improvement in the FKC is going to be a big help in operations. Getting data turned around earlier will be a better guide as well. He expects after the final review to have a very small error rate on the allocations for Friant.
Elected Gov’t Mischief & Good Blueprint News
Johnny Amaral, COO gave his report on federal legislation saying the Congressmen and Women and Senators are on vacation now campaigning like crazy.
Consultant Mike Villines said Samantha Arthur is taking Nancy Vogel’s spot as Vogel moves from Deputy Secretary of Natural Resources to DWR. He said there were about 2,000 bills that ran through the system in the past two years. The biggest surprise was the last minute Governor Gavin Newsom veto of SB 366 by State Senator Anna Caballero.
A press release from June of this when it looked like the bill was still in favor stated SB 366 would secure California’s future water supply by doing the following:
- Establish necessary water supply targets to capture and produce enough water for all uses.
- Modernize the California Water Plan for a 21st century climate.
- Ensure accountability for state agencies on water management issues.
- Compliment and amplify Governor Newsom’s Water Supply Strategy, ensuring there are water supply targets that extend beyond any single Administration.
I read the letter Newsom sent to the California Senate explaining his veto of SB 366. To a legislative layman like myself the reasoning didn’t sound right.
Newsome wrote, “The bill [SB366] would require the Department of Water Resources (DWR), as part of the 2033 update, to revise the contents of the California Water Plan to, among other provisions, focus on developing a long-term water supply planning target for 2050 to identify and create plans for future water needs of various water sectors.”
The next paragraph praised the plan released by the Newsom administration in 2023 but first it stated, “The California Water Plan (Plan), updated every five years, is the state’s guidance document for sustainably and equitably managing, developing, and stewarding the state’s water resources.” Emphasis mine.
There’s a form of that word – equity – again. The letter said the Newsom administration plan had clear goals and strategies but didn’t mention anything about accountability or an abundant water supply to meet the needs of the people of California.
Newsom wrote he appreciated the author’s intent, “. . . this bill would create substantial ongoing costs for DWR, the State Water Resources Control Board, and other state agencies and departments to assist in the development of water supply planning targets. A revision to the Plan of this magnitude, that creates such significant costs, must be considered in the context of the annual budget.” Emphasis mine.
Did I understand this correctly? Really? It would cost the state too much to assist in the development of water supply planning targets. Newsom didn’t state it would cost too much to develop a water supply by 2050 – he wrote it would cost too much to assist in helping come up with a target. And this is in response to the annual budget.
Newsom wrote that in partnership with the legislature his administration enacted a balanced budget that avoids deep cuts to programs millions of Californians rely on like health care and education, housing, public safety and of course climate.
The second to the last sentence read a bit hollow and scolding, “It is important to remain disciplined when considering bills with significant fiscal implications that are not included in the budget, such as this measure.”
That makes complete sense if SB 366 was going to force the state to pay for everything this year. But when you consider how long it has taken the Prop One storage money to drip out of the state’s wallet or – and this is a big one to me – how many miles of High Speed Rail would it take to pay for an abundant water supply in California? I’ll bet you a dollar against a dime the cost of one or two miles of High on Speed Rail would pay for refurbishing the State Water Project’s California Aqueduct and modernize both the more than 60-years old state and federal Delta intake facilities with a state of the art fish friendly diversion. I bet if the state Capital was 50 miles south and dependent on updated water infrastructure it’d be a different letter sent out on SB 366.
Austin Ewell reported, and Phillips backed him, the letter by the Water Blueprint for the San Joaquin Valley and the Southern California Water Coalition caused Newsom to align with the need to alter the Fall X2 line.
CEO Report
Phillips said he visited the State Water Resources Control Board hearing in Sacramento last week to request the Tule Subbasin be placed on SGMA probation. The State Board directed staff to work with FWA and the USBR on FKC subsidence.
Phillips said the upcoming off-site meeting is fast approaching. It was pointed out Phillips was interviewed along with Allison Febbo, GM of Westlands Water District by the Maddy Institute.
That was that. Go be good to each other and yourself.
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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.
