By Don A. Wright
The Westlands Water District held its board of directors meeting on Tuesday, July 16, 2024 at its Fresno headquarters and on Zoom. Before we get started I want to share with you something I found very interesting about the Trump assassination attempt. There’s a blog I read regularly called “bad cattitude” by el gato malo. I don’t know who he is but the guy has great analytical skills. You should see what he does to the climate change extremists in relation to hurricanes.
Anyway, he doesn’t use capital letters so that takes a moment to adjust. Click here to see the best narrative/explanation of how security could be so lax as to allow a sniper to get as close to a target as happened in Pennsylvania. If this is a subject that has you scratching your head, read it, you’ll thank me. Also, it could be a point of consideration for other conspiracy theories, maybe even the ones concerning ag water in California – is it malice or stupidity or?
There was a finance committee meeting before the start of the regular board meeting. A lady whose family came from France in 1953 bought land in Westlands and started herding sheep. They then went to cotton and now have trees. She was caught unawares of a change in how the rules and regulations have changes. Her 107 year-old mother is still on the farm and they received a penalty four times the original charge. It was $400 and the committee denied the request to waive the penalty. Then they kicked us all out of the meeting for closed session and came back as the finance corporation and adjourned.
The Meeting
Things got underway at 9:15am when Chairman Jeff Fortune called the chaos to order. Director William Bourdeau was calling it in from Milwaukee as he is a delegate at the Republican National Committee convention. The consent calendar was approved and then a bombshell was dropped for those of us out of the loop. Here’s the big reveal:
Bobbie Ormonde is retiring and this is her last meeting. The agenda order was changed and Resolution No. 117-24 honored her for her incredible career. She a done just about everything you can do at a water district shy of taking a shovel to a ditch bank. Come to find out her nick name didn’t come from Roberta. Bobbie is short for Balbina. Fortune gave her much deserved praise and the room gave her a standing ovation and round of applause.
Director Frank Coelho said his family and Bobbies family probably came from the same island in the Azores. He said he’s seen her go above and beyond consistently since she began at Westlands. He wished as good a retirement as former O&M Director Bill Pierce who showed up today well-tanned and in shorts and a Hawaiian shirt with LA Dodgers all over it to wish Ormonde well.
Ormonde gave a short speech thanking Ed Sheely, the late Don Devine and former General Manager Tom Birmingham for hiring her and giving her the opportunity to have such a great career. Good for her.
Silver Creek
Item 14 was also taken out of order and it dealt with the Silver Creek Drainage District. WWD Engineer Kitti Cambell took this one. The SCDD has been in existence for many years but hasn’t been very active. Things have changed. New landowners and some flooding is reviving things. There was serious flooding about three years ago that badly damaged one of Firebaugh Canal Water District’s canals. There is a 218 Election taking place and WWD is inclined to protest – if I understood – unless there is at least one or two Westlands representative on the SCDD board as expressed by Directors Justin Deiner and Jim Anderson. Westlands owns about 25 percent of the land in that district. An option would be to approve pending the assessment costs. The board approved.
Grower Tom Coleman said he farms in that area and there is a lot of water that runs through the area. He said the City of Firebaugh is in the path of flooding and this is an opportunity for to capture and recharge that water that would otherwise cause harm.
GM Report
The consent calendar was approved unanimously and General Manager Alison Febbo gave her report. She said the South of Delta Central Valley Project allocation has risen 10 percent. So that’s some good news or at least matters are heading in the right direction.
WWD is invested in the Sisk Dam raise at San Luis Reservoir and keeping an eye on costs. There has been some movement on the Voluntary Agreements and WWD is involved in this and actively involved in how it goes forward. The State Water Resources Control Board is weighing the VAs against unimpaired flows.
Also coming up are the biological opinions. The federal National Marine Fisheries Service and the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration are expecting to render opinions by the end of the year. Attorney Scott Slater was asked if the Chevron decision will have any impact on the federal agencies. If I understood correctly, he opined this will not have a great deal to do with what the feds decide at least at this time.
Water Report
Russ Freeman began by saying the surface water, including carryover and transfers equals more than 700,000 a/f and June and July usage is more than 100,000 a/f each. Going into 2025 carryover will be capped and growers need to use as much surface water in storage and lay off the groundwater so this carryover can be used and not lost. Freeman said there are only two growers participating in the in lieu pumping program. He was asked – wouldn’t the $152 a/f surface rate be cheaper than pumping. There are cases where folks are not in the service area or some poor water quality is coming up the distribution system. Those would be the only good reasons to pump.
Next Tom Boardman spoke saying the reservoir storage is very good this year. Shasta is looking good with a 2.7 million carryover. There are concerns about the Fall X2 releases to push back the saltwater coming into the Delta from the San Francisco Bay. He said a normal year should yield good storage for Shasta next year. He said the federal Jones Plant is down to three units because of an electrical short that knocked out a downstream pumping intertie plant. With subsidence on the Delta Mendota Canal reducing capacity the Jones can no longer run all five units unless the intertie can move some water into the California Aqueduct.
Boardman said as of last night there is more than half a million acre feet of federal water at SLR. He said WWD and other CVP contractors estimated a much higher storage at SLR back in April than the US Bureau of Reclamation. He said in June the Bureau upped its allocation to 50 percent but the carryover will be much bigger. He said this is an example of how extraordinarily bad SLR has been managed this year. The Bureau’s 10 percent increase was the Bureau trying to tamp down carryover. He sees 400,000 a/f of federal water in storage in August. He called it tragic.
Anderson said there are wells running in Westlands that shouldn’t be. He urged Boardman and others to tell the Bureau to get with it. Febbo said there is plenty of room for using all the water in SLR whether through irrigation or recharge. Bourdeau said this isn’t only a problem for Westlands growers but an impact on food supply that has national implications. Fortune said to give credit to Febbo and staff because the CVP is still 10 percent higher than the State Water Project. Coelho added the best recharge is not turning on a well.
Coelho said Boardman’s tracking of the water is at a much higher quality than others. Anderson said he hopes Boardman isn’t retiring but he wants a backup to Boardman as his work is so critical. Febbo said they are pushing for more transparency in this process Boardman plays such and important part in. She said the Bureau is understaffed, some areas of inexperience and this could be contributing to this problem.
This is my take but I think I’m correct. The Bureau is keeping and extra, maybe 300,000 a/f in storage to keep the water going to Santa Clara Valley WD clean and to have extra for the Exchange Contractors to prevent a call on San Joaquin River water that would harm the Friant Division of the CVP. This time of the year is peak irrigation.
Water Broker Eric Johnson commented online asking what is the correct allocation this year. Boardman said it’s a difficult question but he sees at the very least another 10 for a 60 percent allocation. Boardman said before 2018 that would have almost certainly been the case. This is an average hydrologic year. Johnson added once upon a time congressmen came to the rescue and he thinks they should be pushing the Bureau to add a15 percent to the allocation. He said he understands staff has to work with the Bureau but the growers urging politicians to get in the fray is where pressure is applied. Febbo said the spring situation was uncertain due to Delta operations and that is another challenge that contributed to this problem. There were also considerations dealing with pump maintenance scheduling and the Cooperative Operating Agreement.
I asked Boardman if he has some thoughts on the fish friendly diversions. He said he wasn’t familiar with the details but he indicated there is plenty of room for improvement in Delta operations.
Grower Will Coit said the difference between a good joke and a bad joke is . . . timing. He said he’s thinking about next season and he does thank WWD for the extra 10 percent.
Gov’t Mischief
Jeff Payne reported on federal and state items saying there was a tour in WWD by Senator Alex Padilla’s staff. He said things in Washington DC are focused on the upcoming elections and therefore not much federal water legislation is expected.
Payne said on the state side the Climate Bond support is fractured amongst the water community. ACWA is disappointed in the lack of water infrastructure I believe. Payne said there are some parts that would benefit Westlands.
Public Info Report
Elizabeth Jonasson presented the board with proposed signage along I-5. She also said there will be an economic impact report of what Westlands contributes coming soon. Then she showed some billboard display drafts. Anderson asked if Caltrans has been consulted and they have been, so it’s legal.
The images included: Welcome To Westlands, Feeding America from the Heart of California, Westland’s Food is Fresher, Local Jobs Not Foreign Food & Emissions, Safer Food, National Security, Needs Water To Grow, Is Growing Food Wasting Water, Water Stewardship for Today and Tomorrow. All good suggested messages and it is evident Jonasson put some quality work into it.
Anderson commented he liked the concept but wondered if you can read them driving 70-80 miles an hour. He’d like to form an ad hoc committee to review the program. Febbo said there might be room for a visitor’s center at Harris Ranch. Bourdeau said he’d like to be on that committee.
Grower Kristi Robinson said she loves this concept but reminded everyone to keep it very simple as although most folks here understand what’s going on most of the rest don’t. I was able to contribute two words, “Burma Shave.” One of the things that really bothers me is an over-active billboard. You can’t read the message and you might as well put all the money spent in an envelope and leave it at my gate.
O&M
Kelly Vandergon wasn’t present so Jose Gutierrez gave the report for him. I rarely quote, but this was the most brilliant O&M report I’ve ever heard. Gutierrez said, “If broke they fixed it.”
Outside Agency Reports
Bourdeau reported the Family Farm Alliance is in a retreat and he wasn’t able to attend but he expects a succession plan for the Executive Director and President. There were some questions about what closed session items taking place at the San Luis Delta Mendota Water Authority being conveyed to the Westlands Board. Slater said there are confidentiality laws that prevent that. Anderson said if SLDM won’t share what they are doing Westlands should place all its fees in a trust until they do so.
Bourdeau, who represents WWD at the SLDMWA, said he doesn’t believe they are wasting any money. He said the Bureau is a much bigger problem with wise spending. Slater said all of the financial matters are public information. What is said in closed session is deliberative and protected. Fortune said they need to figure out what info they want.
Deiner, who also sits on the SLDMWA board, added there was a lot of water moved last year through the SDLM and the SLR. This raised the energy bill and put things in a bind.
There is a CVP Water Association comprised of 44 member agencies. Supervisor of Customer Accounting Steve Farmer said there was a meeting and almost all of it concerned financial matters. However, Febbo did speak on the VAs. All the CVPWA members are keeping an eye on those developments.
Finance Committee Report
Bourdeau asked Committee Vice Chair Deiner to give the report and Deiner asked Ormonde to give the report. There were many items and one was a resolution to invest in the Local Agency Investment Fund. Another was to add Farmer’s signature to the district’s bank accounts. Bourdeau was voted secretary and treasurer to the finance committee. All the resolutions on the agenda were approved. Farmer will now be the district’s assessor and tax collector with Ormonde leaving.
It wasn’t all fund and games with resolutions and such – rates and charges were also discussed and acted upon. Freeman said there is about 36,000 a/f of supplemental water and the board needs to make some decisions on it. If the board doesn’t act the water will be reclassified to something else. He said he recommends taking water off of land that isn’t eligible. You may want to call the office as I’m not sure what was going on with this item. There was talk about moving around O&M rates as they apply to this water. The district could send this water to recharge or charge pumping costs for this water. Farmer presented the board with rates and charges and the possibility of needing to raise rates by up to 28 percent. The board also approved a revised salary schedule.
SGMA
Next Campbell spoke on the Groundwater Sustainability Plan and said while the State Board realizes most of the groundwater used in Westlands is for ag and not drinking, it wants more attention paid to drinking water in the GSP. She also said there are wells below the clay layer than can be used for monitoring but not enough above the layer. She said some existing old wells can be used for monitoring if there is enough history. If not the GSP will have to include that fact and state the data from that will is being developed for the future to augment the monitoring network.
Campbell put up some graphs about the groundwater conditions and a conversation followed. She said the board needs to weigh in on some policy matters. These could have positive impacts on conjunctive use, getting recharge to more areas and ways to allocate certain types of water. Of course most of this is going to depend on the water year.
The last item had to do with the boundaries of Westlands and the Westside Subbasin. There are some lands in Westlands that are not in the subbasin. There is a small portion of the district that DWR wouldn’t authorize to include in the subbasin (and thus in the Groundwater Sustainability Agency) due to the aquifer not being recognized as alluvial. This also cuts the landowners out of certain allocations of surface water. Slater and Campbell both said it will take some technical research and proof to get DWR to change its mind. Slater said the underlying groundwater belongs as a right to the landowner but if there isn’t any groundwater there are different surface water allocations.
If I understood this is about 11,000 acres of land and it sits now as white land and is therefore among the lands in the Fresno County SGMA jurisdiction. Slater said in his experience it will be difficult to get DWR to change the boundaries at this point. Febbo suggested and the board agreed to study this further and bring it back next month.
The Strategic Plan to Shorten the Meeting
Febbo recommended due to the length of the strategic plan presentation and the length of the meeting already exceeding three and a half hours she’d like to move this to a workshop. The board agreed.
Next Freeman told the board about a water transfer between Westlands and San Luis WD by a grower with land in both districts. This happened last year but that was a historic wet year. The board wasn’t as inclined to allow water to leave the district. Grower Tom Coleman spoke up saying he wants to move water from SLWD to Westlands and the board was all in favor. That solved the issue as Coleman can trade that water with the grower and get the amount that would have left the district.
Get Out the Vote
Febbo said there has been an effort to simplify the election process in Westlands. This has been a point of contention in the past. She strongly emphasized this is not reflective of all the integrity, honesty and law abiding work staff has done in the past. Slater said there have been many comments over the proxy and the water code is confusing. Staff is trying to boil this down for those who don’t live and breathe the water code. They can’t change the voting process in the water code and it is full of minutia, but the goal is to bring about a better understanding by the landowners.
Ormonde said the district has prepared packets for voters and they will be available through August 9th if the slate doesn’t change.
Grower Jon Rieter said the problem is the form used and if it isn’t changed there will be the same problem. Febbo said, if I understood correctly, there isn’t much wiggle room legally to change the form. Slater said there could be a merge of forms but the intention is to get a pre-authorization in place before the vote. That should help if the pre-authorization form is filled out early. Rieter reiterated there is going to be problems and he said there will be the same problems that have been going on for more than a decade.
Ormonde said the instructions are written and it will take more time and effort, but if the form is filled in correctly the vote will count. She said it is a right for landowners to vote. But, she pointed out if you sign the authorization form on one side and the ballot is on the other side – it won’t be a secret ballot. Rieter and Coelho both said they are in other water districts with different forms and they will share that with staff.
The next item dealt with leased land and Coelho had to step out of the room and recuse himself because he has relatives in this program. Freeman explained about groundwater allocations and credits on land being leased from the district. Some amendments would have to be cleared by a CEQA exemption, as with surface water. Director Jeremy Hughes said in the age of SGMA this land shouldn’t be farmed. Grower Sarah Woolf spoke up and said she agrees. A motion was made to only allow recharge on this land unless there is an exceptionally wet year. The board agreed.
Closed Session
The meeting went into closed session at 1:00pm for what I counted as more than two dozen items dealing with lawsuits, personnel matters and real property negotiations. It’s been a long morning and messed with my tender schedule but the chairs were comfortable, the company friendly and the topics mostly stimulating. I believe we’re in for a good week and a good month. On the topic of good, go be good to yourself and others.
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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, Kevin Assemi, 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, Bobbie Ormonde-VP of Finance & Admin Affairs, Customer Accounting Supervisor Steve Farmer, Scott Slater & 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
