By Don A. Wright
The Westlands Water District held its board of directors meeting on Tuesday, April 21, 2026 at its Fresno headquarters and online with Zoom, of course. It was raining in Fresno as I drove to the palatial offices, well palatial in comparison to their old HQ. There are actually enough chairs in the boardroom for people to sit. Anyway, it’s raining and that makes ducks and farmers happy. It’s a poly-market bet the mood in the room is going to be lighter than say, the meeting in August will be. By the way, we’re supposed to get an inch today. I have a little place back in Louisiana and an inch would barely qualify as drizzle but for us out here, it’s like a month’s worth of precipitation.
The Meeting
Things revved up at almost the scheduled 9:00am start when Chairman Jeff Fortune got around to sitting down and called it. Bless him he said it would be a quick meeting. Director Frank Coelho said he’d heard that before. Evidently Uncle Stew and Aunt Linda are having a Wonderful meeting later today and didn’t invite me. To be fair I haven’t invited them to anything recently either.
The first thing we did was pledge allegiance to the flag of the greatest nation on Earth. This was led by former Marine and current Director William Bourdeau.
GM Report
Allison Febo gave her report by Zoom saying the US Bureau of Reclamation may not be able to raise the allocation due to this year’s weather. She said the Westlands team has found justification for another five to 10 percent supply. The only possibility for a greater allocation will be more storms this month.
Febo said President Donald Trump’s executive order and Action Five have been helpful in dealing with the regulatory hedgerow. WWD has been submitting comments to the State Water Resources Control Board about the Voluntary Agreements. There are concerns the state is changing what was agreed to.
There is a section of the federal San Luis Canal and the state California Aqueduct that is a shared facility. (San Luis Reservoir is also a shared state and federal facility.) This puts a different spin on any subsidence repairs and who pays what.
Water Report
Kiti Campbell gave the water report saying there 364,000 a/f of supply and so far about 40,000 a/f has been used. She said there are two allocation points that Westlands disagrees with. One, the Bureau’s estimation for demand is higher than WWD’s and two, that is causing reservoir operators to release more than necessary. Febo said the Bureau is risk adverse and Westlands (and others) are sharing the modeling differences with the Bureau. She said receiving allocations earlier in the year helps farmers grow. It’s also a matter of the government trusting farmers to stick with their estimated demands. Febo said it was a point of difference on how much to release and when – from Shasta but given the snowpack Westlands isn’t for drawing Shasta down too far.
Campbell said there is an estimated 64,000-81,000 a/f of supplemental water for, I believe she said about $700 per acre foot. The precipitation so far this year is normal and this current storm should help some. There’s another storm predicted for this weekend, which happens on the last weekend of April half the time because it’s also the Clovis Rodeo.
Director Jim Anderson asked if someone from Westlands and/or the San Luis Delta Mendota Water Authority is comparing modeling results with the Bureau. Febo said this is part of the solution.
Grower Jon Rieter asked about spills on the state side that could be used for recharge. He said San Luis Reservoir filling shouldn’t be a base for reducing pumping in the Delta. She said the only time that would make sense would be when SLR is full and there’s no place else South of Delta to place that water.
Storage throughout California is above average for this time of year. In fact some of them are encroached for flood conditions. Febo said the federal Central Valley Project’s two main storage reservoirs are Shasta and Folsom. They are full but due to a very low snowpack they are not going to be filling up from snowmelt later this year. Anderson suggested Westlands team up with the State Water Project to provide better assurance to the Bureau and the Department of Water Resources for the demand projection.
So much of this depends on how much pumping is allowed in the Delta. Recall two-thirds of California’s precipitation falls north of the Delta and two-thirds if usage takes place south. This supply has to be conveyed through two major pumping plants located near the City of Tracy on the Delta’s southwest edge, near the Coastal Range.
Science
Brad Cavello reported by Zoom there hasn’t been much of an entrainment problem this year. The salmon fisheries have opened up in the ocean off the California coast and that includes recreational as well as commercial. Cavello said this is more inline with helping both salmon and water supplies. He also reported there is more cooperation between water supply interests in the Sacramento Valley and further south.
Gov’t Stuff
Next Russ Franson reported the President’s budget request included increased defense spending and decreased domestic spending. This can have some impact on matters under the Department of Interior like the Bureau. The state legislature is back and all bills have to be out of committee by the end of this week. The California Air Control Board has been receiving petitions from certain NGOs claiming hydropower is dirty energy. Patagonia
Outdoor Clothing started an NGO that created its own math to estimate the Sites Reservoir will be a green house gas engine. Remember that when you go to buy clothes.
Public Affairs
Febo reported on public outreach since the incredibly intelligent, kind and beautiful Elizabeth Jonasson has moved on. Westlands has had a long history of much higher than average public outreach officers. Sorry, I was mourning the loss of Jonasson and missed most of what she was saying about social media and such. Febo also reported Westlands is ramping up its community engagement over the summer. Mariana Alvarenga, a lady from the Leadership Council for Mustard & Accountability – it sounded like. I’m guessing I miss heard and it was actually the Leadership Council for Justice & Accountability. She gave a list of requests for a resolution she’d like to see for the district’s community benefits plan. She said she was representing residents from Cantua Creek.
O&M
Kelly Vandergon gave the Operation &Maintenance report and said the district is soliciting a pilot project to get rid of the golden mussel from its system. He’s looking for a two-fold approach including a copper concentration of two different doses and duration. This is a big deal as the little boogers like to live in pipes and Westlands has an extensive pipeline distribution system. Vandergon said he is expecting to bring back a proposal next month.
Bourdeau said this is going to be expensive but that doing nothing will be a disaster. Coelho asked if there is any grant funding available and it sounded like most of that was going to watercraft inspections. Director Ryan Ferguson asked how much Arvin Edison Water Storage District has spent on mussel control and I believe the answer was a little more than $2 million so far.
Vandergon also reported on regular repair duties. Anderson asked if Metropolitan WD has a golden mussel problem and the answer is yes. Met has some filter and UV radiation pilots and is confirming with Westlands.
Steve Farmer gave an update on the Strategic Plan saying things are moving.
Outside Agencies
Bourdeau reported Samantha Hardcastle, the new CEO of the Family Farm Alliance, has hit the ground running and working hard. The great Dan Keppen was honored earlier this month at the SLDMWA. Freeman reported on cost allocations for the Delta Mendota Canal subsidence in relation to funding from the One Big Beautiful Bill. Freeman also reminded everyone the spring ACWA conference is taking place early next month in Sacramento. That’s always a good time hanging with the ACWA folks. Farmer reported on the CVP Water Association and the Power & Water Resources Pooling. Campbell added additional loads were included in PWRP (pur-pa).
Solar Power
Jose Guitierrez asked Freeman to give an update on how the district will deal with land for the Valley Clean Infrastructure Plan. Some revisions were requested and the board was OK with this.
Guitierrez reported on the transmission infrastructure. He said the California ISO regulators have realized there is a greater need for transmission of power and this is complicated. There will be a special board meeting next week to go over all of this.
Patrick of Golden State Clean Energy said Cal ISO has found there could be a billion dollars a year savings to the state’s ratepayers for upgrading the transmission system through the San Joaquin Valley. He found this, I guess you could say, refreshing and it will help the project.
Finance
Next Bourdeau reported on the Finance & Administration Committee meeting. Sherman Dix gave the board a rundown of what’s going on financially. The board approved Dix’s recommendation to accept the Investment & Financial Report.
Dix said this is the final year of the latest 218 Election period. There will have to be a May 18th hearing and this must be published. Dix said staff is consulting with specialists on the next 218 Election. The board also approved Resolution No. 108-26 that will authorize Febo to execute documents to get a standby letter of credit for the benefit of the California Department of Fish & Wildlife.
SGMA
Febo asked Antonio Solorio to give the board an update on the district’s SGMA activities. He said on April 1st a report was turned in on time. He said all the monitoring sites have been read and analysis is underway. Subsidence data is also being taking into account.
Dr. Peter Maraccini reported on groundwater conditions within Westlands. He reported on active wells saying overall the water levels have dropped due to lower aquifer pumping. There were charts and graphs and such things I found difficult to describe in a written report. He did report subsidence on the district’s east side is creeping in from outside sources. Director Jeremy Hughes said one of the consultants he uses pointed out some big differences when you hit the Westlands border.
Rules
Febo reported the next item is dealing with fallowed land and use of water supplies. Freeman took this one saying staff is proposing changes to encourage good stewardship. He pointed out abandoned land and crops create unhealthy areas with weeds, pests and other problems. The change in the rules would require the fallowed land be kept clean for the landowner to receive the property’s ground and surface water allocation. There are still questions – like what if the problem arises after the allocation is given. The attorneys are working on it and will bring it back.
Resolution
There was an administrative item Vandergon presented and asked the board to adopt Resolution No. 109-26 to update the required compliance assistance requests to align with the FEMA requirements. If I understood Westlands could get some federal emergency assistance if a disaster hits. Most likely floods or earthquakes came to my mind.* The board went along with the recommendation.
Closed Session
Things in open session wrapped up and the commoners were expelled from the room so the board could discuss matters in private per the Brown Act – personnel, real estate and lawsuits. That was that. Go be good to each other and yourselves.
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*I had no reason to think tornados at that time.
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Westlands Water District
286 W. Cromwell Ave, Fresno, CA 93711 Phone:559/224-1523
Board: Jeff Fortune -President, Jim Anderson – Vice President, Frank Coelho Jr., William Bourdeau, Ryan Ferguson, Ross Franson, Jeremy Hughes, Ernie Costamagna & Justin Diener.
Staff: Allison Febbo-General Manager, Jose Gutierrez-Lt. General Manger, Russ Freeman-Deputy GM Resources, Kitty Campbell-Supervisor of Resources, Steve Farmer-VP of Finance & Admin Affairs, Elizabeth Esposito-In House Counsel, Kelly Vandergon-Director of O&M, and Jim Carter-IT Guru.
About: Without irrigation, farming in the Westlands area of California would be limited and ineffectual. The history of Westlands is one of continual adaptation, careful water stewardship and advanced technology. By maintaining a fierce commitment to sustainability, the Westlands’ comprehensive water supply system continues to adapt, educate, and surpass conservation goals. Throughout its history, Westlands Water District has demonstrated a lasting dedication to water conservation and recognized that the long-term survival of its farms depends on the effective management of California’s precious water resources. From www.wwd.ca.gov
SGMA: Westland WD is in the Westside Subbasin and the Westlands WD GSA. DWR #5-022.09
