Audio Parts One and Two
By Don A. Wright
Authors Note: Somehow I had Navy Commander Sam Lee’s last name wrong in the first released version of this report. Commander Sam Lee is his real name, not Commander Sam Gutierrez. My sincerest apologies to both Sam and Jose Gutierrez. Although being mistaken for either one of them wouldn’t be a bad thing. DAW
The Westlands Water District held its board of directors meeting on Tuesday, December 17, 2024 at its swank Fresno headquarters and on Zoom. There was an inordinate amount of folks at today’s meeting, so it’s great that it is being held in the new headquarters. Lots more room, the chairs are more comfortable and it’s easier to gain access to a power plug.
Like a crazed gynotikolobomassophiliac that missed the mark and nibbled on the
sternocleidomastoid area, the meeting’s open session portion began at 9:01am instead of the scheduled 9:00am start time according to the agenda. There was a quiet pause before order was called by Chairman Jeff Fortune. Don’t know why, but everyone got quiet. Then boom . . .
The Public Hearing
Things kicked off with a public hearing for the Westside Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan. The Westlands board sat as the Groundwater Sustainability Agency and the hearing was required so the board could pass a resolution (GSA 102-24) for a period evaluation. Engineer Kitty Campbell explained this has to be done to meet Sustainable Groundwater Management Act requirements. The updated findings will be turned in to the Department of Water Resources. Director William Bourdeau praised Campbell for the work that went into this report. Director Jim Anderson asked if grants have been funding any of this and Campbell said yes. That made them happy and the board adopted the resolution.
The Meeting
Director Ernie Costamagna led us in saluting the flag of the greatest nation on earth – like you should do in America. It’s notable Director Ryan Ferguson is back on board as a member of the board. Good for him. Fortune told everyone that all the board members now sitting have been through the election process. He said it was a heated race in some case but everyone is working together to bring water to Westlands growers. He said staff is top notch, first rate and everyone should bring any problems to the board.
The US Navy
Commander Sam Lee is the public works director for the Lemoore Naval Air Station in Kings County. Lee gave us an update on what is going on at the base. There are 11,000 acres of ag land surrounding the base. Westlands provides the water to the fields that help decrease bird strikes. Westlands also provides water to 15,000 base inhabitants. Lee said when the land is fallowed due to lack of water the hazards of bird strikes increase. This is dangerous to pilots and others it is very expensive to have to do bodywork on a multi-million dollar jet. Anderson asked if the US Bureau of Reclamation was aware of this and offered Westlands help in relaying that information to the Bureau.
Grower Keith Freitas asked if there are any known foreign landowners near the base. He said he believes there are some solar folks not holding US citizenship. The Navy is keeping an eye on this matter.
Jose Gutierrez said Westlands staff was meeting with the Navy regularly pre-Covid and will commence again. Also, the consent calendar was approved.
GM Report
Allison Febbo gave her report saying there are congressional requests by Congressman Jim Costa to delay signing the Record of Decision on the Delta operations. There is grave concern about the State Water Resources Control Board’s staff trying to push unimpaired flows instead of the Voluntary Agreements. There are still some public workshops to be held about this matter. The comment deadline is January 10th.
Water Report
Russ Freeman gave the water report and reiterated Febbo’s comments it’s good to get rain. He said the blended price was $400-500 a/f and he thinks they can bring the costs further down. Tom Boardman then reported Lake Shasta has gained more than 100,000 a/f following the most recent storm. Storage is higher than expected with 162-percent of average for this date. Folsom Reservoir is also gaining inflow but gains are limited due to required Delta releases. Some of the upstream storage is holding back but it looks like things will be ok there. If only there was a long-term weather forecast that was accurate and could predict reservoir inflows. Hint->
Boardman said one of the Jones pumps had a bearing problem and only four pumps are running. That should be back up by the end of the week. However, the first flush was avoided during November but not this month. That means there will be 14 consecutive days with only one or two units running at Jones reducing Central Valley Project pumping by more than 80,000 a/f. If there are flows from the San Joaquin River side of the Delta from storms they might be able to turn on an extra pump. But the storm outlook isn’t that strong. One silver lining is demand is down right now. And there is some reason for optimism despite the regulatory setbacks. He sees the San Luis Reservoir filling by sometime in March.
Febbo asked about the First Flush Action. He said the science behind the action isn’t really clear but the triggers for increasing are known. Flows measured at Freeport can trigger increased outflow, as can turbidity. Boardman gave a more exacting explanation but I couldn’t type that fast. The goal is to avoid drawing turbidity into the southern Delta where smelt would follow and could be entrained in the pumps.
Bourdeau asked if anyone is actually measuring Delta smelt populations and travels. There is no real time monitoring and like the Fall X2 Line, the First Flush is based on theory. There are far better ways available to manage the smelts’ situation and get water where it’s needed. Anderson asked Febbo how to change this. She said the new administration is expected to ask for evidence of these theories.
Director Justin Diener asked Boardman about the conditions of the Jones Plant. There are five pumps and one is down.* They can fill the Delta Mendota Canal. The State Banks Plant is pumping a trash can full of water down the California Aqueduct as fast as it can to fill up its share of the SLR. Boardman said if things dry up that’s going to impact the initial allocation. Febbo said maybe a 10 percent allocation by February.
Febbo said she brought up the allocation issues with the Bureau at the recent ACWA conference. She pointed out with SGMA everyone needs to conserve as much groundwater as possible and needs more stability in allocations. Boardman said as the Bureau starts developing allocations early in the year they do have some certainties for upstream storage for cold water and other uses. Higher SJR flows will help but the storms are heading north. Hopefully we’ll get more wet in this part of the state.
Kristi Robinson asked about predation being part of the conversation. For instance, studies show 90 percent or more of the out-migrating salmon are being eaten by non-native sport fish such as striped bass. I’ve heard from reliable sources the rip rap lining many of the channels in the Delta are prefect habitat for blue gill and impairs the smelts’ food supply. Blue gill love to eat smelt. As Febbo indicated there is a parade of absurdities governing the Delta regulatory scheme.
Mark Borba commented on last year’s Bureau allocation announcement. The early allocation was 15 percent (Boardman maintained the true allocation should have been 25-percent higher) but the Bureau stated it was ignoring recent storms and using very conservative estimates for the rest of the year. Same with the State Water Project. Borba said the Bureau recently made a statement it was surprised to find 200,000 a/f in SLR. He said this doesn’t give him confidence the Bureau is going to issue a realistic allocation. Febbo responded the Bureau’s actions last year were unacceptable. She said SGMA alone is enough to cause the Bureau to change how it estimates demand and allocations. She said the Bureau isn’t using input from growers. It’s an ongoing problem of regulators not reasonably seeking data from those being regulated. At the recent ACWA conference one of the speakers asked for a show of hands from those in the crowd who had received a call from the State Board asking for their opinion. No hands, much laughter.
Dan Errotabere commented he hopes the Voluntary Agreements are adopted but there are so many other stressors. Jeff Payne said there is a glimmer of hope due to the increasing awareness of predation and the need for habitat. Febbo added if a private company was charged with fixing the fish problem in the Delta it would have been fixed years ago. Payne said a corporate organizational chart looks like a tree. A government org chart looks like a fur ball.
Gov’t Mischief
Payne said Westlands is planning a visit to Sacramento next month to meet with new legislators and do what it can to be sure the new bond funds go where needed. There is also a Washington DC trip planned for February. There will be talks with the new administration and Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Shift.
Public Affairs
Elizabeth Jonasson got things fired up with some Chuck Berry backed up by a video of reindeer and a sleigh’s view of flying over crops in Westlands. My favorite part of the meeting. She gave an update on social media, including funding outreach for Multi-benefit Agricultural Land Repurposing Plan.
O&M
Kelly Vandergon reported there have been some water theft and the sheriff’s
office has been notified. There’s also theft of wire and tools on the westside shop. There is a small crane needing some help with the outriggers. It was a short report, because evidently he’s doing a good job of keeping things going. He recently took over from Bill Pierce and those are some big shoes to fill. Vandergon is filling them.
Sunshine & Strategy
Gutierrez said Westlands staff has been working on permits and agreements to get the Valley Clean Infrastructure Project a little further down the road.
Febbo said work is continuing on the strategic plan. Bourdeau reported the Family Farm Alliance is seeking a new executive director. Freeman reported the San Luis Delta Mendota Water Authority is planning two workshops in the near future – budgeting and subsidence issues. Febbo said Westlands is working on evaluations of activities agreements. Ferguson and Febbo and others from Westlands went to ACWA. And that was that report. Freeman is working on power rates with PWRPA, purr-pa Power & Water Resources Pooling Authority.
Finance
Steve Farmer and his staff reported they are working on budgets and investments if I heard correctly.
SGMA
Campbell reported the project status report has been updated. So far they have recharged 1,500 a/f of the projected 2,000 a/f for December. She put up a map showing the upper and lower aquifers in Westlands and things are mostly good. There was a suggestion that roads be added to these maps for more reference and that’s like nothing to someone with Campbells’ skill set. So expect roads. Robinson asked about filling out applications for groundwater transfers – does each entity with the same owner have to fill out a separate application for each? No mostly, depending on what type of water is under discussion.
Hmm?
The next item is difficult for me to share with you. My limits in advanced physics, a barnyard legal education and a large unawareness of medieval French opera was making it tough for me to follow this complex topic as Freeman gave an update on the Article Two
Criteria for a Program that provides for continued benefits to non-irrigatable lands. This will of course, as anyone can tell you, require modifications to appendix paragraph two. This has something to do with putting in solar on your property and what happens with the water right. This includes what happens if you sell your land or simply fallow it. Director Frank Coelho called in by phone because he’s not feeling well and doesn’t have voting power but wanted to know what this item was doing on the agenda since it was already decided. Good for him.
Freeman said this item is only to determine if the board would like to have staff look into
this more. Anderson said no one wants that. Freitas said something about fee titles and easements and he was told he’d have to sell the land to put in solar. I didn’t follow him and he said he was confused. Anderson told him he was wasting everyone’s time. A pretty bold statement for an elected official to make to a grower in a public meeting. I’ve know Mr. Freitas for a long time and I was amazed how calmly he reacted. Good for him. Febbo invited him to have a talk with staff after the meeting.
Errotabere, a former Westlands board member, spoke up saying he agreed this shouldn’t have been on the agenda. Anderson did step out of the room, presumably to have a side bar with Freitas. Don’t know what was said but no one walked away bleeding.
South of Delta Drought
Gutierrez spoke to the board about additional 1,500 acres of recharge near the City of Huron. He is in discussions with the Bureau about this matter. Bourdeau said to be sure and update the new administration and Febbo assured everyone staff is searching for additional funding.
Next Farmer told the board Westlands needs to have an appointed representative to sit on the SLDMWA board. Director Ross Franson was the representative and Diener served as the alternate. Starting now Diener will be the voting member and Franson is the alternate. Ferguson will be also the alternate for Bourdeau.
Commendations
Former Director Kevin Assemi wasn’t present but the board passed a resolution commending him for his service. There was also a resolution to present a commendation to employee Tim Marchini, who also wasn’t present. So, congratulations to both of them and when they stop by the HQ again they can pick up some attractive parchment.
Supplemental Water Pool
Farmer presented the board with an update on the future supplemental water pool. This is another example of why earlier, accurate allocations need to become a reality. History
teaches us demand is going to exceed supply most often and this is a way for growers to hedge against that. But there are the years when supply exceeds demand. How this supplemental water supply is procured and divided is the issue.
There was much discussion and Robinson said she’d rather recharge $100 water than $700 water and that should be taken into consideration. Director Jeremy Hughes said without being able to predict the future it’s a chicken or egg. How much allocation, how much supplemental? Robinson’s point was to get as much as you can into the ground as cheap as possible. Fortune said the Exchange Contractors can’t grow cotton on $17 a/f water. That’s what I think he said – $17 a/f. Anyway, he said the Ex Con growers are wanting to sell more water to Westlands.
The next item was the one regarding the Lemoore Navel Air Station and that was already covered. So on to the real next item.
SLDM Activity Agreement
Febbo said San Luis Delta Mendota was formed to improved operations of the South of Delta CVP facilities. It is a Joint Powers Authority with many independent agency members. There are ag, urban and wildlife members and this mix gives the JPA a more powerful
voice. In addition to O&M matters there are times when some but not all of the members will want to participate in extra activities under the SLDM banner. This requires an agreement.
Febbo said there have been questions about if Westlands is receiving value from participating in the activity agreements. She said specifically, SLDM attorney Becca Akroyd and my main man J. Scott Petersen are doing kick butt work. Only she didn’t say kick butt, she said they are spending most of their time on activities that further Westlands interests.
Farmer listed the type of activity and amount of money spent Westlands on SLDM activity agreements. Westlands is big, like 40 percent of SLDM is Westlands. For example they are dealing with raising the BF Sisk Dam at San Luis Reservoir, water transfers from Northern California, legislative outreach and legal representation as part of participating in activity agreements.
Febbo said Westlands is one of the SLDM founders and would need to work to change that entity to change activity agreements. Diener said the subsidence in the DMC could increase Westlands water costs by another $60 a/f. He also said Westlands money to operate the DMC is passed from their hands to government and the control is lost. Bourdeau said Westlands gets a lot of horsepower from working with Grasslands WD and Santa Clara Valley WD, environmental and urban districts.
It was pointed out if Westlands pulled out of activity agreements it would still have to negotiate with Yuba for water transfers through the SLDM as that’s the arrangement and there are still the challenges of getting that water through the Delta. Fortune asked how much overlap is there for Westlands for lobbying. There is some but it’s shared. Diener said if Westlands wants to oversee the costs it needs to be at the table. Febbo pointed out there are things that must be in closed session. Coelho said it will take an ad hoc committee to look at this. Bourdeau said SLDM hasn’t ever voted against Westlands. Fortune said to table this until closed session and determine if an ad hoc committee should be formed.
It was asked about the power costs to move the water and Freeman said that’s paid to the Bureau. It’s millions of dollars. Bourdeau reminded everyone the effort to build transmission lines failed but that would have stabilized electricity rates to some degree.
Survey of Fallowing & Water Lease
Freeman said this is an informational item. He said growers were paid by DWR’s Land Flex to retire land and remove trees. There was $3.5 million spent in Westlands. Fortune didn’t find this to be a good idea unless the board wants to make Freeman work overnight and weekends trying to figure out how to make this work. A grower, Mike Henry called in and said he participated in the Land Flex but getting paid is taking a long time. That’s part of the fun of grants. Freeman said he believes all the checks should be out by the end of the year. Henry said he has completed all the obligations to get paid since April.
Closed Session
The meeting started in closed session with nothing to report and it ended in closed session ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Go be good to yourselves and each other.
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*I’ve toured the Jones Plant twice and if you get the opportunity it is a very interesting facility and worth your time. However, I only just now found out there are six pumps. One is supposed to be on reserve at all times. That’s why you never hear about more than five pumps running.
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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, Jim Carter-IT Guru and Elizabeth Jonasson-Public Affairs Officer.
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
