By Jackie Taylor
Have you ever been stumped by a problem you just can’t solve? Well wonder no more!
Meet Shawn Pike, one of WaterWright’s most favorite problem solvers. Pike is a seasoned engineer specializing in design and installation of accurate surface water flow measurement devices with data logging, evaluation of current water structures, water regulations, and more.
Pike is an active member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and has also received awards from work on the Upper Sacramento River Spawning Gravel Restoration, Upper Sacramento River Riparian Habitat and Central Valley Habitat Joint Venture Wetlands Contract. He is cited for his service, outstanding professionalism, and state accomplishments.
Following his graduation from CSU-Chico in 1988, Pike began his career with the California Department of Water Resources. For the next thirty years he was responsible for preliminary and engineering designs of floodways, dams, canals, roadways and other structures. He has also supervised other engineers and technicians in project planning and implementation. Most importantly, he served as a Field Watermaster and supervised Watermasters who administered court decrees, designed, and installed accurate surface water flow measurement devices. During his tenure at the California Department of Water Resources, he also owned Pike & Staff Engineering, which mapped existing, and installed new utility lines for San Bernardino Valley & Crafton Hills Colleges. This led Pike to the creation of Rights to Water Engineering in 2014.
Rights to Water Engineering is a focused engineering firm that enables growers to have peace of mind, just like the firm’s mission statement which reads “Solving Diverters’ Headaches To Provide Peace Of Mind And Help Stay Out Of Trouble.” To fulfill this mission, Pike has a variety of connections and resources to help solve any problems you may have with water rights, water regulations, and answer questions that you may not even know you have yet.
Some questions you may have that Rights to Water Engineering can answer are: What is my decreed water right? How do I automatically record my diverted flows? How do I determine my place of use? How do I know if my water right can be lost? What kind of water rights are there? If all of this sounds confusing to you, then maybe a call to Rights to Water Engineering is in your near future.
So how can Rights to Water help? Pike can survey, set up GPS, design, operate, calibrate, and maintain any system he installs. Pike can also CAD design and map your facilities or farm. One of his specialties includes evaluating properties and diversions and working with landowners to generate several options to comply with SB 88. He also files initial statements, reports, measurement methods and alternative compliance for farms, ranches, municipalities and water districts. One of Pike’s favorite things to do is to evaluate water rights and make diversion measurement recommendations (for SB 88 compliance.)
“SB 88 was passed by the California Legislature in the middle of the night literally and extends water diversion and measurement regulations intended to apply only to the 1,800 diverters in the Sacramento / San Joaquin Delta, to all diverters in the state,” said Pike. “There was little thought given to the added burden it would be on family farmers and ranchers. It is here to stay, as nearly all regulations do in our great state. It requires diverters of more than 10 acre-feet annually to measure all their diversion and storage at intervals ranging from monthly to hourly and report their measurement data to the state in their annual reports. SB 88 has punishments for noncompliance, including fines of $500 or $1,000 per day.”
Rights to Water Engineering is a unique firm because it has a former bureaucrat at the wheel. Pike’s extensive connections in the rural California water world is a rare find for many growers. As SGMA looms over growers, Pike can help ease stresses caused by the new regulations. With Rights to Water Engineering, you will always have an engineer by your side and on your side.
I met Pike at a small WaterWrights gathering back in May and he is such a genuinely salt of the earth guy. He let me take his picture (see his portrait below), helped grill burgers and hot dogs, and treated me like one of his own. Pike is a superb human being and I highly recommend using him for all of your water headaches because he is a great mentor, teacher, and go-getter.
To contact Rights to Water Engineering, just give Pike a call or an email. He can assist you with any problems over the phone or set up a consultation. If the answer is simple enough, Shawn will point you to his blog www.allwaterrights.com. He refers advice for free to share the wealth of knowledge and cannot wait to help you. Give Rights to Water a call at 530/526-0134 or email: RightsToWaterEng1@gmail.com
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