The Kern Water Bank Authority held its Tuesday, March 8, 2022 board of directors meeting on Zoom. KWB spent more than $1 million the past month. Chairman Bill Phillimore called the meeting to order at the scheduled 3:00pm start time.
The Meeting
Resolution 2022-04 was passed to allow a remote meeting. The minutes were approved and Danelle Lopez gave the financial report and did such a good job the board approved. They spent more than $2 million in expenses or they will after the board OKs the expenses. KWA has some big bills and its always interesting to see where a big bill comes from. Was management eating hummingbird empanadas? No, it was the cost of power, electricity to run the bank. During the recovery phase they have to pump that water from underground. They pump a lot of it and the deeper it is the more expensive.
John Ocana reported based on historical data and current PG&E action, prepare to pay more for the pump stations’ energy bill. An increase to the point of recommending a higher fee for the members. Phillimore asked how much money is in KWB’s mitigation fee and Ocana said more than $300,000. General Manager Jon Parker said about $400,000 has been spent from mitigation in the past six years if I understood. Ocana said peak and off peak hours change, again if I understood correctly. All of these guys deal with large power bills at their home boards so they understood. They voted to pay the bills.
Staff Reports
There seemed to be a problem with Parker’s computer and Ocana had to orchestrate the screen share. He’s a sharp young man so that didn’t take long. The first report was on the capital projects of SCADA and well refurbishing, both projects are complete. Other projects included recharge enhancement which includes canal work for conveyance. I believe I was hearing Superintend Nick Torres report on that subject.
Parker spoke about new conveyance planned through the bank. He said the alternatives are all viable and the choice depends more on capacity than anything else. Phillimore asked if there will be a final proposal by next month. Torres said he spoke with the consultant and expects to learn the answer to that by the end of this month. He said in addition to flow rates the consultant could work up cost estimates. Phillimore said there is going to be recharge next year and it makes sense to just get on with it and get the cost estimates.
Parker announced Irvine Ranch has no problem with allowing the KWB to use the Strand Siphon during the work. Phillimore said he doesn’t see how costs can be improved by delay. Parker said an easement from Irvine is pending and there is still a need for a sharing agreement. Director Rob Yraceburu said getting tasks done as soon as possible would be a good move as the supply chain causing material availability and inflation are not on our side. Phillimore said the lack of materials could be used as an excuse by Torres and the work crew to not complete the project. Well said Bill. Remember he’s British and has a humor so dry it is really kind of miraculous he’s working in water.
Oh Well
Torres gave an update on well replacement and rehabilitation. He said bowls and impellers are not lasting as long as they used to. He wondered if others are seeing this. One well had to be jetted as a rehab. There are many other Kern County entities with similar problems. It was suggested someone needs to do test the metal used for impellers and bowls against existing conditions in the bank. Torres showed a photo of pump undergoing tests and the water pouring from the pipe on to the ground and said they’re recharging as they go.
Phillimore said having two recovery years in a row will infuse a good amount of cash into KWB bank accounts. It’s a problem most of us may never have had but too much in a bank account could be alleviated by returning some of the money back to the membership. The audit needs to be completed first.
That set up Ocana to lead the board through an update on the KWB financial situation and the need for fees. Phillimore asked Torres asked where the meter budget is. Torres said there were a couple of months last year with larger than usual channel lose in the main canal. He said he sent an employee to read the meters daily and there was some discrepancies. He wants to meet with some meter companies. He said he requested DWR to test the meter on the California Aqueduct turnout and it was within acceptable standards.
Yraceburu asked why all of a sudden in 2021 and 2022 there is such a divergence? He said flow meters don’t change, they wear out. This is a real problem. A secure, trusted reading on flow is foundational. Fortunately Director Kim Brown is studying the larger comparisons between DWR and other nearby entities’ meter readings. She said the discrepancies have gone from three to seven percent. That’s more than double and Yraceburu said the differences in meter reliability didn’t double overnight. Torres said there could be air in the water being counted as water. Director Jason Gianquinto, Semitropic Water Storage
District said he’s inclined to believe air could be a part of the problem but he’s also curious if new technicians could partly be responsible. Torres said they have mag meters attached the pipes at the wells. Phillimore told Torres this is a priority and not to be shy asking for help. Director Sheridan Nicolas asked if there has been a noticeable change in power usage. Torres said not so much.
Parker reported 200,000 a/f was recovered in 2021. There has been about 30,000 a/f recovered so far this year. He posted a graph showing the water levels flattening which is a good sign for recharge when the time comes. Parker showed a couple of hydrographs and a map with no grazing taking place. There hasn’t been enough rain to provide adequate feed. This lack of grazing will let the Russian Thistles also know as tumble weeds go nuts.
The Kern Groundwater Authority GSA had its GSP determined by DWR to be incomplete and like every other GSP from the Valley it needs revisions. The meeting then went into closed session at 4:08pm. I remember when 30-minutes was a long KWB meeting. And this meeting didn’t bog down anywhere, there was just a lot to talk about. Go be good to each other.
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KERN WATER BANK AUTHORITY
1620 Mill Rock Way, Bakersfield, CA 93311 Office: 661/398-4900 www.kwb.org
Staff: Jon Parker-General Manager, Danelle Lopez-Accountant, Steve Torigiani-Attorney, Nick Torres-Superintendent
Board: William Phillimore-Chair Westside Mutual Water Company, Sheridan Nicholas-Vice Chair Wheeler Ridge Maricopa Water Storage District, Steve Jackson-Treasurer Dudley Ridge Water District, Dennis Atkinson Tejon Castac Water District, David Beard KCWA Improvement District 4, Jason Gianquinto Semitropic Water Storage District & Rob Yraceburu Westside Mutual Water Company
Located on a large, undeveloped section of the Kern River’s sandy alluvial fan, the Kern Water Bank covers nearly 30 square miles over California’s southern San Joaquin Valley. Ideally situated, both for its unique geology and its proximity to water supply and delivery systems, the Kern Water Bank plays a dual role in California’s economically vital agricultural heartland.
