By Nick Edsall
The Regular Meeting of the Board of Directors of the Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority (TCCA) was held August 6, 2025, at 9:00am at TCCA Headquarters, 5513 Hwy 162, Willows, CA.
Board Chairman Zach Dennis confirmed a quorum and called the meeting to order. After the Flag Salute, Dennis asked for any additions or corrections to the agenda. There were none, so the agenda was moved and approved as posted. There were no public comments.
Monthly Recurring Items
The June 4, 2025, Regular Meeting Minutes were reviewed and considered. A motion was made and seconded, and the minutes were approved. June and July Financial Reports were reviewed and considered. One of the items discussed was the purchase of a new water
truck. The old water truck was essentially a lemon and had many problems since it was first purchased. Too much was being spent on repairs each year, and the Maintenance and Facilities Committee agreed it was time to replace it. An acceptable replacement was found, purchased, and is currently on site. The old truck will be sold at Bid Cal auction and should bring in some revenue. The replacement truck has less than 35,000 miles on it and is still under warranty. It meets all California Air Resources Board compliance requirements and should remain compliant for the next 13 years. There were a few other minor maintenance expenses, including an air conditioning unit and a window that needed to be replaced. After clarification of these expenses, the financial reports were approved.
Jake Berens with the Northern California Bureau of Reclamation Office (USBR) gave the USBR report. They are currently dealing with normal irrigation season business. USBR put out a public notice that Sites Reservoir negotiations will be August 18–19 in Sacramento regarding the partnership agreement. There will be more sessions in the future, and Berens has coordinated with TCCA GM General Manager William Vanderwaal about potentially having a meeting at the TCCA boardroom September 23 if needed. There will be meetings
scattered around the state as long as they are required for negotiations. USBR has the DWR license for putting in seismic meters, but they had some questions about insurance for approval of the license. Berens worked with Director Shelley Murphy and let her know that her annexation is on Adam’s desk and awaiting his signature. He also spoke with Vanderwaal, who discussed legislation he was working on for his trip to D.C. Berens had received a call from the front office with questions about the Orland Unit project and TCCA because of some draft language from Representative Doug LaMalfa’s office. At the conclusion of Berens’ report, there was discussion of the water situation at Lakes Shasta and Oroville. With an additional 5% heading south this year to fulfill the executive order requiring more water south of the Delta, Shasta currently has 250,000 AF less in storage than it did last year.
General Manager’s Report
Operations and Maintenance Chief Don Babb provided updates on ongoing projects, including road grading and erosion repairs, drainpipes, and tree removal. In June, PG&E turned power off to checks 12 through 20, and staff had to manually operate the gates. The entire staff has had DOT training. There were multiple copper treatments on the TC and Corning canals. They cleaned the Arbuckle Complex and are currently mowing vegetation in the Arbuckle area. Upcoming and continuing projects include painting, road grading, and vegetation control. Babb and Vanderwaal met with someone about a project to try to eliminate some of the sediment that plugs tubes there. A lot of sediment is cleaned out each year, and they have a large pile to dispose of annually.
Vanderwaal reported that the target shutdown period for winter maintenance will be November 15 – February 15. This year, there are plans to test the maximum capacity of the system because of potential future demand on the canal when transferring Sites Reservoir water. Babb mentioned that some repairs on the upper end should be completed before the flow test.
Aaron Hall, Supervisor of the Red Bluff office, reported that they have been grading roads and painted fuel tanks at the Red Bluff office. They changed a level transmitter at check six on the Corning Canal, tightened fish screen plate cable cleaners on sections 2 and 4 and repaired the antenna at check 12. They performed vibration tests on all motors where needed. Motor number 9 will be sent for bearing failure repair in two weeks, and motor number 4 will go off for repair next year. The inverter was replaced in VFD #3. They are currently pumping about 650 CFS, and flows will be cut down as the river elevation drops.
There was further discussion about the canal capacity test and water use options. Rice stubble decomposition, wildlife refuges, and groundwater recharge in ephemeral streams were mentioned as possible uses. There was concern about whether 24 hours would be long enough for the test. Vanderwaal explained it would be the best possible approach because there is nowhere else to put all of that water, and it will still give them an idea of the system’s capacity.
Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District will have its 105th-year celebration in September, and Vanderwaal mentioned that someone might attend on behalf of the TCCA board. Healthy Rivers and Landscapes has released the draft plan update data briefing by Northern California Water Agency NCWA. It is mostly positive, but there is frustration over their insistence on including unimpaired flows. Vanderwaal noted that legal action is not necessary at this point, but they will likely participate with comment letters. Attorney Rebecca Smith added that they are pleased with progress so far and still have significant questions about implementation, especially regarding unimpaired flows, but are hopeful it will not come to that. The next presentation/hearing before the board will be in early September, and NCWA and Smith’s office are working on comments. MBK is conducting a detailed analysis and preparing comments, with a drafting meeting next week.
Vanderwaal, Director Darrin Titus, and Chairman Zach Dennis traveled to D.C. last month. Dennis reported the trip was very successful. They met with the Speaker of the House, Senators Padilla and Nash, Representative LaMalfa, and spoke to the Natural Resources Committee. Everyone was open and responsive to the topics presented, and progress is being made quickly on some legislation.
One is a small modification to the Reclamation Drought Relief Act, which currently allows water from the Orland Unit—outside the Central Valley Project (CVP)—to be transferred to the CVP only if the governor declares a drought. Normally, transfers are prohibited because they are separate Bureau projects. The proposed modification would allow Orland Unit water transfers to the CVP in any year. In most years, they have water available to transfer. Initially, the legislation was expected in July but has been moved to September, which is still fast for legislation.
The other significant item is funding requests for three projects under the reconciliation bill, totaling about $15.2 million. These projects have been entered into the Reclamation database, which is a requirement for funding consideration. The fact that they were specifically added is a positive sign.
General Business
Vanderwaal gave the mid-year budget update, including the Finance Committee report. He proposed adjustments to the budget due to extra expenses for the D.C. trip and costs for the new water truck. Wages were reduced due to less overtime this year. After discussion and clarification, the Board approved the budget changes.
The Strategic Plan was also approved. A Capital Improvement Plan was developed as part of the plan because the Bureau requires one for funding purposes.
Director Jamie Traynham reported on the status of Sites Reservoir planning. At the last meeting, the Sites Authority expressed interest in meeting with TC districts and investors. The Bureau’s lack of clarity on operating Sites Reservoir is causing planning problems for other stakeholders. Without knowing how the Bureau will use its “piece of the pie,” others cannot plan effectively. The Authority is pushing the Bureau for information, but the Bureau is struggling to move forward due to political constraints and uncertainty.
The final item was the Black Butte Gates Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). When built, Black Butte Dam was designed to have gates allowing an additional 200,000 AF of water storage. This is not a new concept, but it has not been advanced. With increased demand for water, it is time to move the project forward. The Board voted to proceed with the MOU, after which the meeting moved into closed session.
Nick Edsall covers Northern California water meetings and their impact on the agricultural community. With over 25 years of farming experience and deep roots in the Sacramento
Valley, Nick brings firsthand knowledge of the challenges growers face when it comes to water policy, regulation, and resource management. As the owner of Edsall Ag Consulting, LLC, he strives to translate complex water issues into clear, relevant reporting for farmers, ranchers, and stakeholders across the region. A graduate of the California Agricultural Leadership Program (Class 53), Nick is committed to bridging the gap between policy and production in California agriculture.
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Tehama Colusa Canal Authority: 5513 Highway 162, Willows, CA 95988 – Telephone 530/934-2125, https://tccanal.com/
Staff: GM – William Vanderwaal, O&M Chief – Don Babb, Administration – Lisa Dicharry.
Board: Chair – Zach Dennis, Vice-Chair – Jim Jones
Members: Davis WD, Colusa CWD, Corning WD, Cortina WD, Dunnigan WD, 4M WD, Glen Colusa ID, Glide WD, Holthouse WD, Kanawha WD, Kirkwood WD, Legrande WD, Orland Artois WD, Proberta WD, Thomes Creek WD & Westside WD
From the TCCA Website: The Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority (TCCA) is a Joint Powers Authority comprised of 17 Central Valley Project water contractors. The service area spans four counties (Tehama, Glenn, Colusa, and Yolo) along the west side of the Sacramento Valley, providing irrigation water to farmers growing a variety of permanent and annual crops. TCCA operates and maintains the 140 mile Tehama-Colusa and Corning canals irrigation water supply system. The service area is approximately 150,000 acres, producing over $250 million in crops per year, and contributing $1 billion to the regional economy annually.
