By Nick Edsall
The April Board of Directors Meeting for the Western Canal Water District (WCWD) was held at its headquarters in Nelson, California in Butte County on Tuesday April 15th. This meeting was the first water meeting I have attended as a reporter, and I am grateful to the staff and board who were extremely helpful and welcoming to me. This was also the first district water meeting I had attended outside of my home county of Yolo. It is very exciting for me to have the opportunity to regularly see some more of the beauty of the Sacramento Valley and to meet so many of the people to contribute to the health and function of our complex water systems.
Less than 3 weeks ago, I took a ride around the Sacramento Valley with WaterWrights.net publisher Don Wright to visit some of the districts that I would be covering. The Sac Valley had just received a healthy shot of rain and it still felt like winter to both of us. Wright was in amazement of the amount of water standing in the dormant rice fields and running through the canals and sloughs that are as important to winter drainage as they are to summer irrigation. He commented that the water and vegetation of the north state reminded him of some parts of Louisiana where he visits frequently.
I jokingly said, “For a guy who writes about California water for a living, you act like you have never seen any.” We reflected on what a difference there is between the Sacramento and San Juaquin Valleys when it comes to climate and rainfall. As I pulled up to district
headquarters the morning of the meeting, I quickly noticed that the soggy fields we were looking at had since dried and growers were frantically working to open ground to begin rice planting. Between now and June 1st most of the estimated 465,000 acres of rice in the Sac Valley will be planted.
The Meeting
Back to the meeting …. The meeting was called to order at 9:15am by Vice President Josh Sheppard who presided in the absence of President Correen Davis. Josh opened the floor to public comments. I introduced myself stating that I hope to attend as many meetings as possible and that our goal at WaterWrights.net is to share information with all those who may have an interest in or who would like to educate themselves on the nuances of California water. I mentioned that WaterWrights has a large presence in the San Joaquin Valley and that I am Wright’s desperate attempt to have a presence in the Sac Valley. I then asked for patience and forgiveness as this is my first attempt at journalism.
I was welcomed to the meeting by VP Sheppard and we moved on to guest Mark Wagers who had attended a growers meeting that was hosted by the WCWD. Wagers liked the president’s message and tone emphasizing the financial stability of the district. The board responded with a few comments that overall, the attendees seemed to be happy with the
meeting and the information that was presented. Director Eric Larabee mentioned that he would have liked to see more landowners in attendance, but overall, there was a great showing of growers and other community members.
Financial Reports
With the close of public comments, minutes were approved for last month’s Regular and Special Meetings and General Manager Ted Trimble gave the financial report which showed the District to be in good financial shape and order. Director Bryce Lundburg noticed that the cash balance is about $300,000 more at this time than at the same time last year. Assistant General Manager Anjanette Shadley explained that this was mostly a timing thing and not necessarily an indicator of any major differences between this year and last. Payments have just been coming in earlier this year than last year. Trimble mentioned that customer payments are relatively consistent and reliable because the District has good leverage. “If you don’t pay your bills, you don’t get your water.” If that is not motivation, I don’t know what is. Financials were approved and the meeting moved on to the Managers report.
Managers’ Report
Trimble reported that Lake Oroville was at 879’ in elevation and there is 3.114 million acre feet currently in storage there. The lake is projected to be full by the end of the month. This is the second year in a row that the lake has completely filled which is great news. The Oroville Dam is running at about minimum release right now to conserve what has been stored. The final water supply update from DWR puts the district at a full supply allocation for 2025.
The District is currently in an audit with HMS. Finance Manager Rochelle Ravert reported that the finance department is currently working with them on that. The District has
received a cash call from the Northern California Water Association (NCWA) to help support the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes Program. The contributions have already been agreed upon, and therefore non-discretionary. Next to Glenn Colusa Irrigation District (GCID), WCWD is the second largest contributor. The total contributions requested are $175,000 dollars. WCWD share is $9,802.92.
Trimble reported that it is an election year for the District board and that Directors Sheppard and Gregg Johnson’s terms end this year. July 14 to August 8 is the timing to file declarations for candidacy. Lundburg thanked Sheppard and Johnson both expressed that they appreciate the knowledge and experience they have gained and that they appreciate all of the leadership and water knowledge in the room, and that they would like to continue to serve if that is the will of the District stakeholders.
Assistant General Manager’s Report
Assistant General Manager Craig Myers reported that the field staff are wrapping up repairs on the system, they are closing up the reservoir to start charging that up. They are waiting for Butte Creek flows to drop to put in the Dry Creek Dam, hopefully at the end
of this week or next. The Dry Creek Dam delivers water to the McPharrin Canal. They are looking at starting water next week and it will take a week or so to charge up the system before the first deliveries begin. Myers mentioned that two of eight Toughbooks need to be replaced this year because they will soon become obsolete. Replacement cost for each Toughbook is $11,000. Sheppard thought at a minimum, one needs to be replaced, Johnson thought 2 would be needed. Larrabee questioned the cost of the Toughbooks. Shocked at a price tag of $11,000 each he felt that the price was incredibly high. Shadley added that she had checked around and that $11,000 was the going rate for Toughbooks, and that there are only a few options for notebooks built for all of the elements that they face out in the field.
Shadley also reported that computers in the office were upgraded to Windows 11 and that three computers needed to be replaced because they have become obsolete over time. Everyone in the office is receiving ongoing cyber security training which has become more important as more scammers and hackers try to wreak havoc in public infrastructure. She reported that to comply with SB 88 Water Right Reporting, MBK Engineering is working with DWR to ensure that the District is in compliance. She expects no major changes should have to be made. Anjanette then handed out a legislative update to the Board including any new bills of interest that have been introduced this year.
Attorney Report
Lead Council Dustin Cooper reported two items, the first being a decision was made in Kern County on a case where there was a claim of a public trust violation because of diversions that leave the riverbed dry most of the year. They demanded that flows be allowed to reach a point much further down river. Ag interests challenged the claim and prevailed. The court concluded that the waste and unreasonable use provision in the
California Constitution applies even to environmental flows. By keeping water in the river there will be unreasonable affects to groundwater conditions, and to agricultural production. This Is important to the Ag community as it may apply to the unimpaired flows construct. The other good thing coming out of the case was that the court concluded that the environmental groups were required to post an undertaking. When seeking an injunction, it is normal to have to post an undertaking so that if you are wrong the defending party can recover losses. In the past, environmental groups have worked around undertakings by posting $1 as the undertaking and claiming they are exempt because they were representing the general public.
Cooper’s second topic was in regard to Deer Creek, which continues to be the focus of the California Department of Fish & Wildlife. The Department of Fish & Game built a dam, fish screens, and ladders and has been owning, operating, maintaining and repairing those facilities until they abruptly stopped roughly five years ago. This resulted in litigation to determine who is legally responsible for maintenance. The case was started by Stanford Vina Ranch Company who is the senior water right holder on Deer Creek. The Department put a temporary restraining order on Stanford Vina as an in-kind response. With recent high flows, debris has been causing problems with the fish screens and ladders. The department claims that the fish screens have become unpassable. They also claim that the reason they stopped maintaining the facility is because they do not have legal access to the facility, although they maintained the facility for 60 years and just last week, they accessed the site to investigate the supposed take of salmonids.
The significance of all of this is that Deer and Mill creeks are very small systems in terms of water supply, but very significant in the state’s effort to restore and protect salmonids. Cooper stated that he is a total loss for what the end game is. The department has become punitive. The relationship has broken down and it is very hard now to have a discussion with them. About a year ago the Department put in flow recommendations to the state board for more than 100% of unimpaired flow, which in not even possible given the
historical flows coming out of those watersheds. The breakdown in relationship and the punitive actions of the Department affecting this small mutual water company concerns Cooper. Neither of the two creeks are included in the Healthy Rivers Program because of the Departments unimpaired flow recommendations and that has been an impediment to negotiation.
Business
The Association of California Water Agencies Joint Powers Insurance Authority CEO Adrienne Beatty and Director of member Outreach Elisa Sabatini arrived to provide a presentation to the board on the current benefits and services of JPIA. WCWD has been a member partner since 1987. JPIA is a Risk Pool Partnership that was established because at some point in time insurers decided not to insure public entities because of high liabilities. WCWD has been a member partner since 1987. Agencies like Police, Fire, and Even School Districts have high liabilities. As public entities, water districts were lumped into that group and insurers shied away from them. Water district liabilities are relatively low, and so being in this risk pool actually saves the districts a lot of money. JPIA has very low losses across members, including WCWD. Because of this insurance rates tend to stay flat or even
decrease over time. JPIA is a not for profit, so money pooled and not used can sit in a fund and build interest over time. When the JPIA sees that it has more than enough to cover current liabilities it can adjust rates or even issue refund checks. In the last 5 years WCWD has received almost $28,000 in refunds.
Tommy Ostrowski of Davids Engineering gave a presentation on the Front Slide Gates Replacement Project. The Front Slide gates are critical infrastructure to the water delivery system at WCWD and they are at the end of their usable life so getting them replaced is critical. The project has been focused on engineering and design and focus has recently pivoted to environmental compliance tasks. California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance has been reached but State and Federal agency permits are in the works. A $400,000 United States Bureau of Reclamation Planning and Design Grant has been secured and strategic funding partnerships are currently being evaluated to help with funding. The next steps of the project will be to complete the 75% and 100% level of design, and to address uncertainties with PG&E, permitting, tariffs and inflation, and finalizing grant agreements and identifying additional implementation funding.
Before closed sessions, there was a quick mention of an upcoming Butte County LAFCo election, and the board decided to put in votes for 2 locals who have some ties to agriculture. Shadley gave a Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) update, mentioning that a monitoring well is needed in the Colusa area. The local groundwater basin is sustainable and there are very few downward trends in the district that would cause problems. She ended by mentioning that a new consultant will need to be selected for the next Groundwater Sustainability Program.
Nick Edsall covers Northern California water’s impact on the agricultural community. With more than 25 years of farming experience and deep roots in the Sacramento Valley, Edsall knows firsthand the challenges growers face in water policy, regulation, and resource management and strives to translate complex water issues into clear, relevant reporting for farmers, ranchers, and stakeholders across the region.
Owner of Edsall Ag Consulting, LLC and a graduate of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo (Crop Science) and the California Agricultural Leadership Program (Class 53), Edsall is committed to bridging the gap between policy and production in California agriculture. In addition to his consulting work, he also serves as a sales representative for Duarte Nursery, working directly with growers in the Sacramento Valley to support successful orchard development. Nick can be reached at nick@edsallag.com or nick.edsall@duartenursery.com
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2003 Nelson Road, Nelson Ca 95958, P.O. Box 190 Richvale Ca 95974-0190
Directors: Greg Johnson – President, Eric Larrabee – Vice President, Bryce Lundberg, Correen Davis and Josh Sheppard
Management and Staff: Ted Trimble – General Manager, Craig Myers – Assistant GM Operations & Maintenance, Anjanette Shadley – Assistant GM Administration & Communications, Chelle Ravert – Finance Manager, Shawna Sherer – Administrative Assistant and Dustin Cooper – Attorney.
Western Canal Water District was formed by a vote of landowners on December 18, 1984 as a California Water District, and currently encompasses a land area of approximately 67,500 acres, of which approximately 59,000 acres are irrigable. The District purchased the “Western Canal” water system from Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), who had acquired it from the Great Western Power Company. The canal was originally developed by the Western Canal Company, which began operations in 1911. The pre-1914 surface water rights of the District comprises 150,000 acre feet of natural flow from the Feather River, subject to reduction during drought; 145,000 acre feet from upstream storage water not subject to reduction. Its DWR SGMA # is 5-021.70
