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Tulare Irrigation District March 8, 2022

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JOBS/HELP WANTED

The Tulare Irrigation District held its board of directors meeting on Tuesday, March 8, 2022. The meeting was held in person and online with Zoom. Before the meeting was called to order I heard Director Scott Rogers wouldn’t be present. Hope all is well. General Manager and all around nice guy Aaron Fukuda said after the minutes they were going into closed session. Chairman David Bixler called the meeting to order at 9:00am. Under public comment I told them I loved them all dearly (and I do) but their meetings are getting a little lengthy. The minutes were approved and Fukuda said to hang out on the Zoom screen they’d be back in a few minutes. He shut off the mic and the screen, so it wasn’t too painful. Didn’t have to unhook and call back and hopefully the sound of the meeting starting again will call my attention.

The Meeting

At or around 9:30-ish the sound of the meeting starting up again did catch my attention. Fukuda kindly gave us a brief interlude to allow wiping the nacho crumbs clear before beginning. And things began with another all around nice guy Water Master Marco Crenshaw giving his report. He said there is some inflow to Lake Kaweah where there is a maximum storage of 185,000 a/f. Lake Kaweah has about 40,000 a/f currently but there is still a good portion of snowpack waiting to melt. The water content is on the drier side. There is a storm heading for Northern California next week. Some forecasts say it could get this far south but anything to help Shasta is welcome as well.

Crenshaw said there is still a 15 percent allocation for Class I Friant Division contractors. That represents 4,500 a/f for TID. Fukuda explained the Lake Shasta levels determine to a great extent how much of a threat to Friant calls from the US Bureau of Reclamation to divert San Joaquin River water supplies to the Exchange Contractors. Crenshaw also showed a map of the Blob, a warm patch of water parked off the west coast. At this time TID has 2,975 a/f at Lake Kaweah. If I read correctly TID has delivered 7,000 a/f to farms since the year started.

Fukuda said ag is being impacted from South of Delta deliveries going to M&I and wildlife refuges. He said Shasta is not looking good but Millerton Lake is hanging in there better than it could be. The amount of carryover in Millerton is a consideration determined by the Bureau and it sounded like no one is happy with how much the Bureau is willing to allow.

The Cooperative Operating Agreement between the state and the feds shows the State Water Project owing the Central Valley Project 300,000 a/f. There isn’t a clear path to show how this debt will be paid. He also said the Bureau will be giving a San Joaquin River Restoration update at the next Friant board meeting which is scheduled to be back at the Windham Hotel in Visalia this month. That saves some drive time.

O&M and Financial

Superintendent Wayne Fox, again an all-around nice guy, I don’t want any jealousy, gave his report. He’s the man who gets things done around TID. I had a little trouble hearing Fox but judging from the board’s approval  of his report he still has a job tomorrow and the district’s canals and construction are in good hands.

CFO Kathi Artis gave the all things financial report and that was so well done the board approved. What to do here? I can’t call her an all-around nice guy and of course any reference to a lady is a potential mine field these days. So, I’m going to say all-around nice gal. And she is and she really does a good job. TID is looking to drop $25,000 on a new copier and realizing this is a shaky year for non-vital expenditures they’re going with a lease. These things are expensive and I suspect it’s largely due to the cost of printer ink. A quick DuckDuckGo search showed prices between $9,600 and $13,600 per gallon. Another rip off was the catalytic converter thefts TID had this past month. Fox said someone cut through the chain link yard fence and took a Saws All to a couple of pieces of equipment in the district’s fleet.

The board then ratified the district’s investment strategy. This is a routine matter that has to be completed annually. There were no changes from last year as no new laws or regulations have been decreed.

218 Election

A 218 Election comes from Prop 218, a ballot initiative that passed and requires certain government agencies to hold an election before it can raise assessments. An ad-hoc committee of Directors Bixler and Rick Borges has been developing a plan. There’s a lot to a 218 Election. There has to be an engineering report to back up the need for the increased amount. It is weighted by acreage and voter turnout. Fukuda said the goal for this election is to settle things for 20-years, a long range financial plan to meet the district’s O&M costs. The goal is to wrap this up by July. It can be a tough climb to ask for more money without the offer of more water in the middle of an inflationary period and drought. There are public outreach meetings planned. Matt Klinchuch of Provost & Pritchard and attorney Alex Peltzer will be helping guide the district through this process. They have some wins in this area. The last 218 Election was in 2014 but it was a water rate election. This one is a land assessment and remarkably this is the first of that kind for TID.

Engineering Report

Next District Engineer and all-around nice guy Jeremy Barroll gave his report saying Self Help Enterprises is building some housing that could impact a TID pipeline. I’ve found Self Help to be one of the most sensible NGOs out there. The district is looking to replace the old pipe with some new, better quality pipe. The headache is the pipes are not running down the street, they are under a landscaping strip just off the road.

Barroll updated the board on other matters. Most of it has to do with urban development. One of the district’s farmers made an agreement with TID about installing a pipeline to replace a ditch. The district said a 30” pipe was needed but as it turns out the farmer spent more than he had to. The board was asked to reimburse the farmer for $8,000. The board agreed. Good for them.

SGMA

Fukuda is also the Executive Officer of the Mid Kaweah GSA. He reported an application for a $6.6 million grant has been submitted to DWR on behalf of the Kaweah Subbasin. There are 14 projects that need $15 million to complete. A vadose zone injection system is being looked at. It’s a very shallow recharge concept.

MKGSA and the Greater Kaweah GSA and East Kaweah GSA had to team up and submit a GSP together. It was determined to be incomplete by DWR under the laws of SGMA. They met with DWR and there is only a few months to update the plan. Fukuda said DWR won’t tell them if the changes are right or wrong but will tell them if the direction the GSP rewrite is heading is hot or cold, more or less. This is a bigger help than it may appear at first blush. SGMA is supposed to be local driven and also P&P will be helping. This is at the subbasin level.

At the MKGSA level the workshops are getting good outreach and feedback. There will be three Land IQ workshops coming up to help clarify what Land IQ does. Spoiler Land IQ measures ET by a combination of satellite and ground truthing. Local bakers’ reaction? Fukuda said they’re pleased with the prospect of increased cookie sales as snacks at the meetings are provided.

TID’s ET dude James Fisher, said for 2022 Land IQ is working on ET reports based on APNs. There is a water dashboard being prepared and a May 1st completion date is the goal. There is a spring crop survey that is already half completed and on track. Semitropic WSD’s Jeff Kenny will be helping with training. Fukuda said the goal is helping the clients understand the data. How ET applies and how Land IQ does it thing. Sounds like a good reminder for everyone because this can be a complicated issue. Land IQ has an exemplary reputation. Fukuda said at this time the Land IQ generated data will have priority. The dashboard has been able to be as granular as down to the APN.

Fisher then spoke about DWR’s Technical Support Services, TSS. DWR offered to drill some monitoring wells a couple of years ago. Now they’re ready to get started. TID asked Montgomery & Associates to review the sites. They are looking at two sites on the western side of the GSA. Fisher and I believe he said someone from Montgomery will be meeting with a DWR representative at the sites  next week. Then comes the CEQA and hopefully by November the wells will be complete.

GM Report

Fukuda said there was no legislation report this month. He’s been busy with presentations. He spoke to the ACWA ag committee about SGMA compliance and gave a presentation to the California Dept. of Food & Agriculture on implementation. Secretary Karen Ross asked how CDFA could help and Fukuda told her this move to alter water rights is very disruptive and harmful to achieving SGMA’s goals. He asked her to please tell the State Out of Control Board to consider how the resources needed to address SGMA are being diverted to legal matters. Well said. Fukuda also spoke with DWR on updating the 2023 water plan.

There is also talk within the San Joaquin Valley Water Blueprint about a new, big canal to help capture State Water Project excess flows and other high-flow events. There are old guys whittling while sitting on the porch at the rest home who remember this happening. TID could potentially get Friant, Kaweah and SWP water if a new canal is built. Fukuda and Kaweah Delta WCD’s GM Mark Larsen have been reviewing the proposal and suggested a realignment that seemed to sit well. Fukuda said a new canal is an audacious plan but so was every other canal in California since 1960. The canals have to be high capacity with a big cfs as the source has a narrow window with a lot of water.

Fukuda said the NRCS has dipped its toe into recharge for the first time. It brings $2 million to two projects in Tulare County and two in Madera County. This money could be used to oversize larger drip system ponds to allow recharge. Monitoring wells will be needed. That’s a bit of catch due to the cost. However, in some cases there are funds available to construct a turnout/conveyance to link the basin with the source. I also know of lenders willing to finance on farm conveyance. There’s an April 1st deadline to apply.

Fukuda said TID has worked with the folks from NRCS before and it’s been good. There was some talk about how much leave behind will be required. I’m not aware of any water bank that doesn’t require at least 10 percent leave behind.

Action Items

TID has retained Capital Core, a company that helps public agencies secure funding. It is time to renew this agreement. Although this is a tough year fiscally Fukuda said with all the infrastructure funding currently on the state and fed table now is not the time to take your foot off the gas. However, Capitol Core is willing to truncate its normal year-long term to six months and review at that time. The board agreed and TID has retained CC for six months for a fee not to exceed $89,000 and some change.

Fisher was up again to talk about the Okieville Recharge Basin. He said a mitigated negative declaration is in order. Work will be limited to between September 16th and January 31st 2023, well outside of any concerns for birds. There are no archeological reasons, the state is OK that the banks are less than six feet so the department of dams doesn’t have to be mixed in. The SJV Air Control District wants only green vehicles used during construction. Horses and mules, maybe some oxen. The board declared it neg dec.

Board Member Reports

Director Dave Martin was going to give a report on the River Association meeting but he didn’t have his iPad with him. However, he recalled the Kaweah Basin Water Quality Association was able to reinstate some growers who made good on some late charges. He apologized saying he can either listen and forget or write and only get the first little part together. I can relate. He said the Regional Board found the Kaweah Water Foundation (I think) final management zone proposal,  due in August, is consistent with what the RB wanted. This dealt with nitrate and other groundwater concerns. There’s some funding opportunities that look very good to helping move things along. Delta View’s Johnny Gaily was on the same Zoom meeting and said this is a good way to help share costs.

At 12:05pm the meeting went into closed session for six items. That was all.

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TULARE IRRIGATION DISTRICT

6826 Ave 240, Tulare, CA 93274 Office: 559/686-3425

Board: David G. Bixler- President, Richard S. Borges, Jr.-Vice President, Scott Rogers, Dave Martin & Michael Thomas

Staff: Aaron Fukuda-General Manager, Jeremy Barroll-Engineer, James Fisher-GSA consultant, Kathi ArtisDistrict Controller, Wayne FoxSuperintendent, Marco CrenshawDistrict Watermaster & Alex Peltzer-Attorney.

About: The Tulare Irrigation District was organized September 21, 1889.  The original proposal for the formation of an irrigation district covering 219,000 acres, extending from the Sierra Nevada foothills to Tulare Lake, was eventually reduced to 32,500 acres.  The District continued in this status until January of 1948 when the so-called Kaweah Lands” (approximately 11,000 acres) were annexed. In October of 1948, approximately 31,000 acres, compromising the area served by the Packwood Canal Company were annexed to the District. A U.S. Bureau of Reclamation contract was signed in 1950 providing an annual supply of 30,000 acre-feet of Class 1 water, and up to 141,000 acre-feet of Class 2 water from the Friant-Kern Canal. The District and the Kaweah Delta Water Conservation District have coordinated efforts to enhance the recharge of groundwater within the Kaweah Basin.  During high flow times KDWCD may use the recharge basins with the District for recharge purposes. Further, KDWCD has historically provided for a financial incentive program through which the District sustains the level of groundwater recharge from supply sources into the District. This historical program was recently reinstated by both districts in lieu of the District’s plans to concrete-line this canal to conserve the surface water. TID is a member of the Mid Kaweah GSA DWR#-5-022.11

 

 

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