Water Exchange Could Be Key For Friant Districts & S.J. River
Kaweah Lake - How can you save the fish, save the farmer and increase fresh drinking water to 20 million very thirsty Los Angeles urban dwellers? Sounds like a fairy tale or at least a tall order, but that is the plan.
A joint study of a potential exchange of state water supply offered by Metropolitan Water District (MWD) with a lesser but purer amount of Friant Water Users (FWU) canal water has turned up no “fatal flaws” in a joint study after a year of technical work, says MWD spokesman Tim Quinn.
The exchange could bring more water into the Friant system allowing districts to sink water into their own areas to be pumped out for local farmers when they need it. In general the model for such a relationship is Arvin Edison Water District where MWD invested more than $25 million in sinking basins and new pumps to increase supply to both entities.
“We’re looking at growing the supply pie,” says Quinn and it’s possible we could invest in 6 to 8 projects along the Friant system but only if the local districts see the benefit.”
“We’re about to make public 10 technical memos,” says FWU general manager Dan Fults, between MWD and Friant - the big eastside federal contractor that irrigates over 1 million acres of farmland on the eastside of the valley.
“Our next step is select a couple of demonstration projects offered by local districts,” says Fults.
The logic of the exchange is that Metropolitan has an ample supply of state water that flows from northern California down the California Aqueduct. But that water carries salts and impurities from the Delta - not good drinking water. By contrast, Friant canal water is mountain water from the San Joaquin River watershed. This pure supply in smaller quantities is a boon to thirsty LA suffering a severe drought this summer even as northern California has had a decent water year.
If the exchange is a boon to Los Angeles, it may be equally important to the long term future of Friant as well because some of that state water could help replenish the San Joaquin River which is the subject of a legal settlement between Friant and 15 environmental groups led by NRDC. Settlement talks are “reaching a critical stage this year,” says Dan Fults with a conceptual plan that could be taken to a judge by the end of 2002. The restoration plan is set to be completed this month.
The plan would be implemented in following years and MWD water supply could be a source allowing FWU to keep their promise that local water districts won’t be affected - anymore than they are already - by restoring the upper valley portion of the San Joaquin from the dam to the Merced River.
The restoration while not to pre-European conditions does hope to restore some healthy river flows, native vegetation and native fish including salmon runs to the river dried up by farmer use when the dam and canal was built in 1950. Researchers say the last remaining salmon run on the upper San Joaquin River was in 1948.
The settlement of the NRDC vs Friant lawsuit dates from 1997 and was pushed to the forefront by the passage in Congress of the 1992 CVPIA legislation mandating a river restoration.
Now ten years later, a plan is coming together that would restore 60 miles of a river some had given up hope on, a river that has given farmers a black eye not just because farmers have taken the water but the fact it remains a repository for farmer’s tainted runoff.
Meeting the needs of urban water users, farmers and fish in the same equation is considered a model consensus approach to the state’s water needs instead of its long history of water grabs and backroom politics. “I think you are peeking around the corner at a new era in water history,” says Quinn.
Remaining to be decided - what will be the price tag to fix the river?
Without an alternative supply to bring back the upper San Joaquin River to life, water districts who get water out of the dam including much of eastern Tulare County - would have to cut back their annual supply in order to meet the environmental goal.
In Tulare County the Orange Cove, Stone Corral, Woodlake, Tulare, Exeter, Porterville and Terra Bella areas each have a contract that now could be an opportunity for additional water instead of a reduced supply in the future.
Looking to take up MWD on their offer to fund a demonstration project is Dan Vink.
Vink is watermaster at the Pixley Irrigation District and Lower Tule Irrigation District and says these districts have already made it policy “to form strategic partnerships.”
“Ag can’t stand on its own,” says Vink making working with an agency like MWD with its political power and resources all the more attractive. Vink notes that his district already are “close to complete water banking already” with Kern County water agencies and other Cross Valley canal contractors. He says southern valley contractors have received a Proposition 13 grant for “pump-back facilities” on the Friant Kern that can pump water back up to the next lock in the southern flowing canal. Regarding water banking, he says his district has the basins to sink the water (Pixley has 5000 acres) but need help with funds to pull it back out when they need it.
Cross Valley canal contractors along the Friant Kern who get a state water allotment add an exchange supply to the equation. “We have much of the plumbing in place right now” to do water exchanges between the Friant and the California Aqueduct including a canal that can run both ways.
Vink says while there is no firm idea of just what the ratio of some water exchange might be, he believes at a 2 to 1 quantity would be worthwhile. Would a large supply of Delta water coming in to the Friant Kern add too much salts? That’s one of the questions.
Vink says other districts to the north of his could look at large off-stream storage options like the Yokohl Valley where imported water could be blended with river water for additional supply - a prospect he admits would be a political hot potato.
Regarding the restoration effect on the San Joaquin River, Vink says some discussion has focused on MWD helping to fund additional storage above Millerton Lake (Friant Dam) allowing some of the additional supply to go down the San Joaquin River to replenish it and providing better water for MWD to cure their drinking water problem as well as improve Delta water quality.
Tulare Irrigation District (TID) general manager Paul Hendrix says his district is watching the situation closely and says the district could take advantage of any plan to increase water supply.
TID of course, went through an expensive and fruitless effort to save water through their canaling project that was dropped last year. Hendrix replaced general manager Jerry Hill in March.
Nervous that the public will not understand the quality vs quantity exchange all parties have been cautious about their pronouncement given the public’s popular notion that LA’s power resulted in the draining of local supply like it was in the Owen’s Valley on the eastside of California earlier in the century. As if to emphasize that the opposite is true - Quinn notes that “the local districts (in Friant) are in control now. If this doesn’t make sense for them it won’t happen.”
In the parched southern San Joaquin Valley where this year rainfall was half to 60% of normal, an offer to increase the water supply and fix farmers’ biggest political and environmental headache - the San Joaquin River - doesn’t come along every day.
Farm Bureau Takes Up Move At Board Meeting
Tulare County - The Tulare County Farm Bureau will take up a possible move from Visalia to the Tulare Agri-Center area at its next board meeting scheduled in September, says executive director Cheryl Lehn.
The issue has been simmering for years and "everybody is always asking us," says Lehn. Now newly installed president Nancy Pitigliano says "why don't we just put it on the agenda and talk about it."
Lehn says a subcommittee has studied the idea for a few years even as the Farm Bureau had been approached by the county in the past to see if they had interest in some of the acres remaining that had been donated by the Faria family next to the Tulare County Ag Commissioner's new building.
In addition the county continues to work with the CDFA about a possible office area.
Already the home of the World Ag Expo grounds and new Heritage Complex, Edison AgTAC and close to the UC Veterinary complex, leaders have been busy working to draw other players, agencies, offices and ag companies to create a kind of ag and trade campus with education, government and industry components.
Most recently work to get Cal Poly to locate classes at the Heritage Center this fall could mean the start of something bigger like a Cal Poly campus. A ten acre parcel has been tentatively earmarked for the college - probably land that would be donated. One local joked the new campus should be called "Cow Poly."
Recently Lehn says the Farm Bureau has been approached by Agri-Center director Gary Shultz as well since the county didn't have the money to pay for infrastructure needs required to develop the site next to the Ag Commissioner.
The latest move is a formal discussion of a plan to co-locate the Tulare County Fair grounds and perhaps the Reigned Cow Horse Association at the expanded Expo campus (see other story).
If Tulare is pulling, Visalia may be ready to allow the ag organization to leave since the large stockyard area on Ben Maddox next to the Farm Bureau office is prime redevelopment property.
"I'm sure the city would love to get the old sales yard out of there," says Pitigliano.
But Lehn says in order for the organization to leave they need to make arrangements for a new location for the cattle yard. "We have to sit down with the cattlemen.
Someone would need to buy the Farm Bureau's land - the City of Visalia had hoped some developer with plans for the 10 acre area. The city just recently bought land across the street on Burke and Goshen Ave. A plan to widen Ben Maddox soon and commercial interest in the city property could help.
Lehn says discussions will range from whether Visalia isn't a better location or whether there is an advantage to co-locating with other agencies and users in Tulare. "It could be the idea is a good one but only long term - like a 7 year plan," says Lehn.
Fair/Farm Show Under One Tent?
Tulare - Board members and staff from the Tulare County Fair and the Agri-Center will meet with state officials July 11th to review a co-location study in the works for the past two years that looks at the feasibility of combining facilities at the Farm Show grounds.
Fair manager Candace Patterson says the group will begin looking at the "financial reality and practical aspects of moving forward" on the idea. She emphasizes that the state will play a key role in the financial feasibility.
Also invited are members of the board of the National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) who also helped fund the study being presented.
The $100,000 study in the works since early 2000 suggests the cost and layout of joint use facility pegging the cost at some $40 million and expanding the expo lands from the current 202 acres to around 355 acres on the grounds along Highway 99.
Significantly "the July 11th meeting was called by the CDFA Department of Fairs and Expositions", says Agri-Center director Gary Shultz, an indication that the state may see merit in exploring the co-location idea. CDFA Secretary of Ag Bill Lyons himself had hoped to attend the meeting confirms Shultz, but now has had to beg off because of a change in schedule.
Also expected to attend the meeting is one of the authors of the co-location studies consultant Dave Forkner.
The report offers a potential layout of a joint use facility that could feature a large arena needed by ag shows such as the fair, farm show or a big horse show like the ones carried on by the NRCHA. Instead of tents the plan shows multi use permanent pavilions for large indoor shows.
Shultz says that "Senator Jim Costa has been very encouraging on the discussions." Shultz says the consultant study has identified the Agri-Center's northeast quadrant for the Fair location requiring some new city streets to feed traffic to this underserved area. Street improvement from both Laspina and Turner Dr. would be needed he says. "The expansion to 355 acres would be needed to accommodate the Farm Show's expansion plans," he says.
Complicating the decision making is the fact the NRCHA and the fair have each lost their executive director and much of the board of the Tulare County Fair is brand new. The fair's new executive, Candace Patterson has been on the job only since April.
The horse association in the meantime have back peddled from earlier enthusiasm for the project when it was launched, with their board's chair telling the Voice a few months ago there was little chance they would help fund the project.
Fair board member John Colbert exemplifies the caution many feel when he says "while I'm really open to the idea, I'm also not in a position to make a quick decision."
Consultant to the Agri-Center, Lynn Dredge, gave the fair board update of the studies findings in April setting up this "next step" meeting this month.
Candace Patterson says the Fair recognizes that the state remains "strapped for money" this year and may not be in a position to fund a move in the short term. Key however, will be the ability to market the 56 acres the state owns at the current Fair site on K St. - right next to Land ‘O Lakes. That acreage could be valuable, once at the edge of town and today next to the world's largest milk processing facility.
Fair board chair Sammi Duysen - a nine year veteran of the Tulare County Fair Board sees merit in the co-location idea but figures the plan might be long term. "It would be an advantage to have modern and larger facilities and grounds," says Duysen who says electric power is one problem they have over at the current Fair grounds.
Boosting chances of the project is the fact that "the state is very supportive" of the idea. "I think we have their blessing." Duysen agrees selling the 56 acres would be the most important thing the Fair would need to move the process. "We know it is worth a substantial amount of money that we could put to capital improvements at the new site."
Patterson says they will keep "one eye on this possibility even as they move forward on this year." Tulare County Fair planned to be a more traditional fair this year with only one paid entertainment venue this year - the Destruction Derby.
This year's fair will be just five days - September 11th through 15. Last year's fair of course, was marred by the tragedy of September 11th that sent the entire country into mourning.
Meanwhile, the Agri-Center is hoping two federal grant applications could help building an ag/visitor campus. One grant application is seeking funding to complete the build out of the learning center at the Heritage Complex and the other would seek funds to build a new 20,000 sq. ft. building for meetings and banquets. Boosting the need for the building are the possibility of such venues as the bridal show at the Agri-Center grounds and the quilt show that didn't have enough room last year.
Shultz thinks such a building could add additional business to the expo campus.
City Buying 31.5 Acres South of
Packwood Creek
Visalia - The City of Visalia is buying 31.5 acres just south of Packwood Creek and west of the big South Packwood Creek shopping center and Mooney Blvd. The purchase relates to the need by the city to install four future streets that will run through the property along with a water conservation basin as well as needing to acquire creekside land, says city manager Steve Salomon.
The property, owned by the Russell family, is in escrow and expected to close by the end of July, says Kermit Nutt who represented the Russell family with Kathy Enos - both of Jordan Link. The purchase price won’t be available until it closes, says Mr. Nutt.
The acreage - within the city limits but zoned conservation - is in the Williamson Act meaning it can’t be developed until it is removed from the program.
Opponents of the Packwood Creek Shopping Center had suggested the city was going to have to spend more public funds to accommodate the new regional retail center, approved in April, south of the creek. The city has pegged the public’s cost at $2.5 million. In order to lessen the traffic impact from the center on Mooney and Caldwell, the city will build the Visalia Parkway and Cameron to connect to County Center. Clearly this land is needed to relieve the traffic impact caused by the center.
But Visalia city planner Steve Brandt says it isn’t fair to say they are buying the Russell property just to accommodate the Orosco shopping center. “We’re building a city here and the streets and sewer lines will be used by everybody,” says Brandt. The 5 acre ponding basin on the Russell land will take runoff from the Orosco shopping center but the city figures Orosco’s direct cost related to the basin at $117,000 - a figure not included in the $2.5 million estimate, says Britt Fussel, city engineer.
Developer Don Orosco will pay $3.3 million in direct costs for the development to the city.
Fussel says that what makes the cost of development in this part of town high is that the street and sewer lines and ponding basins aren’t in to accommodate the growth. He says the city has a funding mechanism in “development impact fees.”
That is a pool of funds that will pay these costs citywide where were needed. Since the city has decided to expand south - the plan calls for roads.
Still the critics would say that if it weren’t for the Orosco project all these streets and bridges and big sewer lines wouldn’t be needed because the development would have been in a part of town where all these services were in place. Without Cameron and the Parkway Mr. Orosco’s project doesn’t work because of the impact it will have on Mooney and Caldwell. Furthermore, punching in these street networks “to accommodate growth” makes it certain the town will keep growing in this direction.
Unless the current lawsuit to throw out the EIR on this project kills the project - an unlikely scenario - all this speculation is water under the bridge anyway.
The city could recoup some of the costs to buy this land and build streets by zoning in the future for homes on the 20 or so acres remaining.
Expansion Of Kaweah Lake Moves
Into High Gear
Kaweah Lake - The $33 million plus expansion of Terminus Reservoir-Lake Kaweah is well underway this summer with construction beginning this month of the fuse gates to raise the dam's spillway 21 feet. The raising of the spillway by fall of next year will increase the capacity of the lake by 42,600 acre ft. - nearly a third - creating a larger lake footprint particularly its northern finger around Slick Rock.
The higher lake will force the US Corp of Engineers - the lead agency on the project - to buy 6 homes and some 15 properties altogether in the next few months, says Bruce George, general manager for Kaweah Delta Water Conservation District - the lead local agency. All of those property owners have now been given bids on their properties, he says. Altogether the new higher pool inundates some 333 acres of scrub oak land.
All those properties could be flooded as soon as next year if it's a wet year. "The lake would be at the new high level as often as one out of two years," expects George, who notes that the desired effect is to hold back flood waters longer in the year before it is released for ag and other downstream beneficial users.
In order to clear the reservoir for flood control now some water has to be spilled before it can be put to beneficial use. The raising of the dam will provide about a 76 year flood protection, up from the current 46 year level. The increase could decrease the need for some flood insurance policies downstream.
In the works since1988, the construction to raise the level of the lake will be done by October of next year setting the timetable for other construction including the CalTrans relocation of Horse Creek Bridge on the state highway some 20 feet higher somewhat upstream from the current bridge. The new 40 ft. wide bridge will require the relocation of Highway 198 on each side of the bridge to make a smoother, longer curve improving the safety factor at this sometimes dangerous curve. Construction work on the bridge is scheduled to begin by September of this year.
The extension of the lake to the north will require a levee to be built at the Best Western Holiday Lodge and road improvements to the entrance of Pierce's Dr.
The highway at Slick Rock will also be raised some 6 ft. because the lake indicates more northern property that is now just river side land.
"The most noticeable change will be the area from Slick Rock back to near the Shoshone Inn will be lake instead of river for a portion of the year," says the dam's manager Phil Deffenbaugh.
The bigger lake will have recreation benefits with a longer boating season and lake access from the two boat ramp areas that are being improved along with the other construction projects.
Phil Deffenbaugh, park manager at the dam says the winter pool should be larger with the higher spillway. Last year the lake hit the lowest level ever providing barely a puddle for recreation purposes for some time.
Deffenbaugh says his dream is to have a foot path around the lake in the future noting that Kaweah is one of only a few lakes nationwide in a pilot program to increase recreational use. The popular Cobble Knoll trail will be inundated by the lake some times of the year as will be the camping spots along the lake closest to Horse Creek. He hopes to seek other funds to do trail and campground improvements at the lake.
Improvement at the parking lot trail head next to the Best Western are expected.
Besides federal funding, state and local money is being provided in other flood control projects from the City of Visalia, Tulare and Kings Counties and the Tulare Lake Basin Water Storage District.
There is another benefit with plans to increase the power output at the current 17 mw hydro plant at the dam are moving forward as well. That increase could take the power output to 20 megawatts, and then to 25 mw with a second addition.
The above stories are the property of The Valley Voice Newspaper and may not be reprinted without explicit permission in writing from the publisher.
July 3, 2002
