Kaweah Lake - With temperatures this week reaching into the upper 90s, Kaweah Lake reached its full point.
Vic Hernandez, river operations supervisor with the Kaweah Delta Water Conservation District, said the lake should hit peak level this week depending on the weather. Cooler weather late last week slowed the snowmelt and flow into the lake.
As of noon Tuesday, storage in the lake stood at just under 179,000 acre feet. Capacity is 185,600 acre feet.
“It's been a tough spring to determine inflow,” reported Hernandez. At times, when the weather heated up, inflow hit as much as 5,369 second feet, as much as during a good winter storm. However, the spring was dotted with warm days, then cool days – even more snow in the mountains. As of Monday, there was still two feet of snow on the ground at Farewell Gap at 9,500 feet. That is down from more than 10 feet earlier this spring and down five feet from May 1.
How long will the lake remain full is not known. “We could be up there for a week or two,” he said, adding that if irrigation demand goes up, the lake will come down quicker. “It could go to the top and come down in a week,” he added.
For the past several weeks officials have been releasing water out of the dam under the eyes of the Army Corps of Engineers that controls releases until there is no longer a threat of flooding. As of Tuesday, more than 2,000 second feet was being released, just slightly less than the inflow. Releases have been as high as 3,365 second feet to keep up with the water coming in.
Because of those releases, there is flood release water going to Corcoran for the first time in several years, but that is not causing any problems in the Tulare Lake area.
Hernandez said the prediction is for 380,000 acre feet of runoff this year, about 133 percent of normal – 283,000 acre feet.
“It's been three dry years before this, so this is good,” he said. While runoff is better than the last three years, it does not top 2005 (147% of average) or 2006 (167% of average). Runoff has been less than 75 percent each of the last three years.
The extra water has been good news for farmers and others. Besides being used for irrigation rather than farmers pumping water from the underground, flowing down canals and streams helps to recharge that underground supply that has dwindled greatly the past three years. Also, water has been placed in several recharge basins around the area.
Lake Success above Porterville is being held at 39,000 acre feet because of concerns over the integrity of the dam. Release there of 395 second feet matches the inflow.
Through Farm Bureau
By Miles Shuper
Tulare County - Adin Hester lives and breathes olives as part of his daily duties as president of the Olive Growers Council of California yet he reaps loads of benefits from membership in the Tulare County Farm Bureau.
Being a Farm Bureau member, Hester says, allows him to discuss, learn and seek solutions to agricultural and agri-business issues with “those who have dirt under their finger nails from being in the trenches, furrows and orchards everyday.”
In many cases, Hester says, those outside the agricultural industry don't understand the real value of the Farm Bureau seeing it only as either a lobbying or advocacy organization for agribusiness and farmers. It is much more, he says.
Hester, who has been a member since 1980, credits the Farm Bureau with being the lead agricultural organization backing the creation of the Olive Growers Council of California.
Hester described the Farm Bureau as the quintessential “grass root organization from the bottom up,” in which a wide variety of issues “are brought to the table to be disused and acted upon by those who deal with and face them day in and day out.”
Hester said he can attest first-hand that Farm Bureau has always been well organized on all levels citing the various topics and issues he has been involved with not only with his specific industry but agriculture and agri-business in general.
He says it is only natural that Tulare County, a world agricultural production leader has had a number of industry leaders with Farm Bureau roots in top positions citing Allen Grant and Mike Chrisman.
Grant headed both the California and American Farm Bureau Federations and was a well-know farming leader for many years. Chrisman was deputy secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture along with several high ranking state positions. Both Grant and Chrisman were Tulare County Farm Bureau leaders.
Grant, a native of Los
Angeles County, moved to Visalia in 1929 after his father's
death to support his mother and siblings on an 840-acre
leased farm which he later bought. He joined the Tulare
County Farm Bureau in 1930, later becoming president and
also a member of the state organization's board of directors.
In 1963 Grant was elected state president, a position he
held for six terms. After retiring from that post Grant
was elected national president in 1975 after serving on
that board and as vice president. Grant retired from the
national presidency in 1980.
And there are others.
Lindsay native Earle Houghton was the first Tulare County resident to head the California Farm Bureau serving from 1925 to 1927.
Another California Farm Bureau Federation President with Tulare County connections is Doug Mosebar who attended College of the Sequoias before earning a degree in agricultural business management from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
Mosebar was elected in 2005 and served two terms.
For many area farmers who can't find the time to take an active role in Farm Bureau being a member still provides a great deal of support and a source for information and a variety of services.
Marty Toomey, a third generation farmer who grows, fruits, nuts and other crops in the Visalia, Farmersville area, said knowing he can get answers to questions or help in locating information or help is important.
Sitting on a tractor or working in the fields or orchards everyday, Tommey said, often eaves little, if any time, to get involved in meetings and discussions but it is reassuring to know the Farm Bureau is there.
Solar Farms in County
By Rick Elkins
Tulare County - Jerry Swartzlander has always kept his eyes on the sky. First, as a firemen with the Tulare County Fire Department he would be concerned with lighting, wind and heat. Then, as a dryland farmer south of Ducor he would look for clouds that would produce much needed rain for his wheat crops.
He may have another reason to look at the sky now. Swartzlander is negotiating with SolarGen USA to place a 160-acre solar farm on his property.
“Three years of drought and no crop, we became interested,” he said of his talks with the solar company that is actually looking at three solar farm projects in Tulare County.
Solar farms have become popular in the sun-rich San Joaquin Valley because power companies have been ordered by the state that 33 percent of their power generation must come from “renewable” sources. On top of that, the federal government is offering stimulus dollars for the development of green energy.
In just the past few months, Tulare County has had more than 10 applications for commercial solar power facilities ranging in size from 19 to 150 megawatts and covering anywhere from 100 to 500 acres of farm land.
Doug Carter, CEO from Colorado for SolarGen, said his company is one of the few that is trying to work with the county, farm bureau and the property owners to develop the facilities. A key issue is the Williamson Act that is designed to protect ag land and should solar farms be allowed on land under that protection. It is an issue that still has not been resolved.
SolarGen USA, headquartered in Littleton, Colo., is a private solar generation company. It has nearly 80 years of combined governmental and energy experience specializing in California energy development including , transmission and utility contract negotiations, states its website.
Currently, the company is working on more than 200 mw of solar development in California, including a large project in Firebaugh, on the Valley's Westside. Its website states the company is developing 1,000 megawatts of solar power generation in California.
Carter said its Tulare County projects range in size from 20 to 40 megawatts. A megawatt is 1 million watts and can power 1,000 homes for one hour.
“We've been working really, really hard on compatibility issue,” said Carter.
Carter said there are now new guidelines from the state Department of Conversation that make it easier for solar farms to locate in ag areas.
“Our goal is to match up small solar farms to match energy needs,” he stressed.
In its Solar paper last month, the Dept. of Conversation give specifics as to how a solar facility can be placed on land under Williamson Act protection, even though “electric facilities” is not defined in the act.
“There are many ways in which a solar power generation facility may be built within an agricultural preserve or on land restricted by a Williamson Act contract,” said the paper.
Basically, the department said a city or county may determine under certain factual patterns that a solar power generation facility is a compatible use on land restricted by a Williamson Act contract.
An important note in the paper is that “it is important that proposals for the conversion of agricultural land to solar energy projects include a detailed site restoration plan detailing how the project proponents will restore the land back to its current condition if and when the solar panels are removed.”
Carter said that is what his company intends to do. “We are obligated to post a bond that forces us to remove solar facility at the end of the lease and restore the land back to its original condition. We think that makes us distinct from other solar companies,” he said.
Swartzlander said his lease would be for 35 years and while he would not farm the 160 acres for the solar farm, he would continue to farm the remaining 540 acres that are under Williamson Act protection. “I'd like to keep it under Williamson Act, especially the remainder of it,” he added.
For Swartzlander, the issue simply comes down to a more consistent income. “I'll make considerably more money than farming,” he said, adding that dryland farming is a risk at best, especially when rainfall is sparse. Luckily, this year has been a wet year and he said his crop is looking pretty good.
If the process begins to move forward, Swartzlander said they could begin constructing the solar farm next year and have it operational in 2012. “I think it would be a good deal for the county,” he said.
Kings County - Lower prices paid for milk hit Kings County crop values, Agricultural Commissioner Tim Niswander reported in the Kings County 2010 Crop Report released Tuesday.
Value of all Kings County crops fell 24.5 percent last year, or $431.9 million to $1.3 billion. In 2008, the value of crops in Kings County was $1.7 billion.
Tulare County saw its crop value drop 19 percent last year, losing nearly a billion dollars in value.
Like Tulare County, milk was hardest hit in Kings County, although it remained the No. 1 crop there. In 2009, lower prices paid to dairymen resulted in the value of milk products to fall 38.7 percent.
“As milk goes, so does a good part of our ag economy,” said Steve Schweizer, deputy ag commissioner.
Kings County was also hit harder by the lack of water last summer. Field crops were down 36.7 percent or $181 million in value. Seed crops, such as corn, lettuce and onions, were down 35.5 percent, but that category makes up only a small portion of the overall crop value.
Part of the drop of field crop values was the trouble the dairy industry had. The value of many cow feed crops dropped dramatically. Alfalfa hay lost 50 percent; silage more than 50 percent and sorghum was down 40 percent.
Cotton, the county's No. 2 commodity, fell in value $4 million, most of those in the Acala variety. Cotton acreage was down 20 percent.
Acreage for those two categories was off considerably. For vegetable and seed crops 10,000 fewer acres were harvest and for field crops, which include cotton, wheat, corn and others, acreage was down 66,000, from 700,727 acres harvested in 2009 to just 644,285 last year.
A large portion of western Kings County is in the Westlands Water District which suffered the most from the 10 percent allocation of federal water last year. “We had 54,000 acres fallowed in 2009,” said Schweizer, “and that is reflected in the crop report.”
This year, the feds are delivering 45 percent of normal so the situation should be better. “Things have improved as far as water availability and less land fallowed,” he added.
Apiary (bees and honey), fruit and nut crops and vegetable crops all saw their values rise. Apiary rose the most – 8.5 percent – due to increased honey production and more almonds to pollinate. Fruit and nut crops benefitted from higher prices and a good crop of pistachios. That nut crop's value rose more than $21 million as the production was double over 2008.
The value of vegetable crops, which include tomatoes and melons, increased 1.5 percent due to better prices for tomatoes and melons.
Kings County continues to see growth in permanent crops. Almond acreage grew by about 1,000 acres, cherries reported a crop for the first time ever and pistachio acreage was up nearly 550 acres.
“People need to realize the values reported are not in farmers' pockets, but instead are an actual stimulus to a minimum of $4.6 billion worth of economic activity from our local renewable natural resources,” noted Niswander. That works out to about $3.5 dollars per every dollar of crop value.
Visalia - Just as Visalia Fire Chief Mark Nelson was trying to make a point of the need for the Visalia Haz-mat unit remaining in existence, he got the perfect example of the need for local coverage.
On June 8 a one-ton tank containing chlorine ruptured at Tulare Iron and Metal on South K Street in Tulare. The incident occurred at about 2:45 p.m. when one of the large “shears” units picked up and cut into a 200- to 300-gallon low-pressure tank, Tulare Fire Chief Mike Threlkeld said, exposing more than 30 people.
After 30 people were decontaminated at the scene – hosed down with water – five or six ambulance companies then transported 22 of the victims to six hospitals in Tulare, Kings and Fresno counties.
It took Tulare firefighters a few minutes to determine the extent of the spill before they called the highly-trained Visalia unit which arrived on the scene about an hour after the tank ruptured.
“This is just a good example,” Nelson said proudly of what his team can do. “This is like an insurance policy. You never know when it's going to happen. It can happen anywhere.”
The incident, one of the most serious haz-mat incidents in many years, came when Visalia is trying to save its unit. Funding shortfalls have put the team on the chopping block and efforts to get the county and the seven other incorporated cities to pitch in to cover the $120,000 annually it takes to keep the unit running, have not gone smoothly.
Ironically, it was Tulare Fire Chief Threlkeld who said earlier this month that he could not recommend his city pay Visalia $16,000 a year as its share.
Tulare County has also balked at its share – roughly $39,000 – with the county and Tulare saying they were looking at a private company out of Fresno for their coverage.
However, Nelson points out, there are many shortcomings to the private company and no way could that company have responded as quickly as his team did June 8.
“We had a timely response,” said the Visalia chief, adding his team identified and helped to contain the leak, then set up zones. In all, VFD sent eight people to the scene.
In addition, the fire department assisted Kaweah Delta Regional Medical Center in decontaminating patients sent there. Dave Sanbongi, pre-hospital liaison nurse, said while the patients were washed down at the scene, they still had their clothes on and that meant further contamination.
Sanbongi said the firefighters helped set up the decontamination tents and assisted the hospital in getting the patients treated quicker.
Nelson said he is hoping the incident will mean a change of heart by Tulare and the county.
“We want to be partners with all cities,” he said.
On Monday, Nelson and Visalia City Manager Steve Salomon met with City of Tulare officials, including Threlkeld. Nelson said Tulare is still considering partnering with Visalia.
“I think they realized the value of having a local team,” Nelson said of last week's incident. He added that the Tulare Council will take up the matter soon, probably at its meeting in July.
The issue is expected to be on the June 21 Visalia city council agenda and Nelson said he will recommend the city cancel its contract with the county and any cities that no longer want to contribute. He said they would then be charged on a per use basis, but could still sign a contract with the city.
“We will still respond, but there will be a substantial maintenance fee added to the response cost. It would be better for agencies to pay up front,” said Nelson.
SECOND FRONT PAGE
What's New
Work should resume in the next couple of weeks on the Kosher Chicken Plant in Tulare. Developers of that project lost their construction loan a couple of months ago, but have since secured new funding, Tulare City Manager Darrel Pyle said.
Strong message. During last week's Visalia city council meeting Mayor Bob Link and Vice Mayor Amy Shuklian both said that several builders violated the city's new regulations regarding the placing of signs designed to attract homebuyers to their subdivisions. That got the attention of the city's code enforcement department that issued more than $11,000 in fines to those companies.
More water for Valley farmers. While it is too late for planting purposes, the federal Dept. of Interior announced Monday it was increasing its allocation of federal water from 40 percent to 45 percent.
A conditional use permit for Twilight Park, a nine-plus acre entertainment venue in Woodlake has been approved by the Woodlake City Council. The site at Avenue 342 (Ropes Avenue) and Road 204 (Blair Road) has been in existence for more than a year. Seventeen conditions, including parking requirements, road improvements, hours of operation and sound limits are included in the permit. The owner is Bruce Kopitar, who owns U.S. Towers and a security system manufacturing company on the site.
Randy Groom, director of facilities for the Visalia Unified School District, has been named chief administrative officer for the city of Exeter.
Last to vote. Rita Woodard, Treasurer/Tax Collector who oversees the county elections department said a recent report found that Tulare County ranks 58th out of the state's 58 counties in the percent of eligible voters who actually turn out to vote. Tuesday's turnout of less than 30 percent certainly proves that point. Kings County saw a turnout of more than 36 percent.
Land O'Lakes, Inc. increased sales by approximately $120 million in the first quarter of 2010 (versus the first quarter of 2009), with more than half of the company's business portfolio delivering stronger sales, the company reported. Net sales for the quarter increased to $3.07 billion, compared with $2.95 billion in the same period last year. This $120 million increase was led by the Dairy Foods business, with particularly strong results from the company's flagship branded butter.
Visalia - Frank Serpa had plans to retire last year, but he has been anything but retired. In fact, he has been busy the past several months planning the re-opening of his Mooney Boulevard store.
Serpa Automotive Pre-owned Car and Truck Outlet will open Thursday, June 24, at 3000 S. Mooney Blvd. The store that last was home to Serpa's Kia dealership had been vacant for more than a year and a half.
“It's been tough. Just sitting there costing money so I thought we might as well do something,” Serpa said last week from his Kia store.
When Serpa gave up his Saturn franchise, he moved Kia from the south Mooney site to the Ben Maddox site. Serpa had to work with the city to get permission to open a used car lot on Mooney, something that in the past was frowned upon.
“The city was very helpful in getting it approved,” the longtime car dealer said. Besides Kia, Serpa has a Hyundai store in Hanford.
The city of Visalia had once allowed only new car dealerships on Mooney, but that thinking has changed. Before Serpa purchased the dealership from Frank Surroz, it had been a Dodge and then BMW store.
He plans on offering all models of vehicles, some practically brand new. “I wouldn't open a new car store, but this will be a good variety of pre-owned cars, many still under factory warranty.”
The new store on Mooney will not only offer quality used cars and trucks, but Serpa will also sell vehicles on consignment. On consignment, Serpa would do the selling and paperwork for a fee.
He is also looking into the possibility of allowing people to park their vehicles on the lot and still sell them by owner and only pay a small fee to park the vehicle on his lot.
“Instead of having them parked all over Visalia, they can park them here and take advantage of the traffic,” he said.
However, not just any vehicle will be allowed. He said he would have to be sure the vehicle is of good quality and safety operating.
Vice Mayor Amy Shuklian liked the idea, saying it would help clean up those areas were people constantly park their vehicles for sale, such as along a portion of South Demaree.
Car sales have not been what they used to be, but Serpa said they are picking up a little and he is hopeful his new store will aid in the recovery of auto sales. He said that nationally Kia is doing very well, but has not seen as much of a rebound in California.
“We're not experiencing the same volume of sales here in the Valley. In our neck of the woods unemployment is still high. That's why we're not seeing tremendous growth.”
To start out, Serpa will only be doing sales at the Mooney site, but he may add a limited service department in the future. He did say the new stores does mean hiring a more people.
Visalia - About 70 people turned out last week to share their opinions on how Visalia should look and feel 20 years from now.
The visions were given last Wednesday during the first public workshop planned as part of the city's update of its general plan.
Visalia's current general plan was adopted in 1991. Covering issues such as land use, transportation, housing, noise, safety, air quality and greenhouse gas emissions, it is a roadmap for city growth until at least 2030.
Paul Schieibel, city planning services manager who is the project manager for the update, told the gathering last week that, “This is really a community effort.” He indicated that over the next 18 months or so of the process to update the general plan, the community will be given several opportunities to have a say.
Mayor Bob Link indicated that by 2030 Visalia could be a city of more than 200,000 people and Tulare County could have a million residents. He said if Visalia is to remain the center of Tulare and Kings counties, “We need to begin to plan now.”
Don Wright, owner of Wright's Hallmark in the Visalia Mall, said he is enthused about the process to help plan the city's future.
“I hope they listen to as many people as possible,” said Wright, who has lived in Visalia since 1970.
“I think the city needs to maintain itself,” he added, explaining it needs to remain an ag community, “but understand growth has to happen.
Michael Dyett with Dyett and Bhatia Urgan and Regional Planners, the consultant hired by the city to oversee the project, said it only makes sense for the general plan to keep pace with growth.
He also explained that the general plan is “fairly defined” by state law and regulations, but there are many areas in which citizens have a say in how the city will grow. “It establishes a long range vision and directs physical development,” he said, adding it is a key component on maintaining the quality of life in Visalia.
Right now, the boundaries of the new growth plan are roughly just north of Ave. 328 on the north, but extending along Highway 99 at least a mile north of Goshen; Ave. 264 on the south but taking in the Tagus area and interchange; Rd. 160 on the east and just west of Rd. 64 on the west.
City officials said they are especially
pleased that more than 500 surveys about the general plan
have been returned.
Surveys are available at all three city hall locations
and on the website at visaliageneralplanupdate.com.
By Miles Shuper
Visalia - Being at a certain location at a given time and knowing what to do and how to do it several months ago allowed two Visalia Carrows Restaurant employees to save the life of a 76-year-old woman.
Although Elena Beck lost her left leg as the result of being struck by a large delivery truck, quick actions by veteran server Iva Rupp and cook Eric Moos are credited for preventing her from bleeding to death.
Gretchen Beck, Elena's daughter, said her mother recently was fitted with a prosthetic left leg and has therapy nearly every day. She continues to use a wheelchair.
The accident occurred around 10 a.m. Feb.23 near the South Mooney Boulevard restaurant when a delivery truck struck the woman while she was walking through the parking lot. Although the truck driver immediately called 911 and emergency crews arrived in moments, the quick efforts by Rupp and Moos have been credited with avoiding a potentially fatal incident.
Rupp and Moose were honored by Carrows management, each receiving $500 and letters of commendation. And Gretchen Beck, Elena's daughter, personally thanked the pair, praising their quick thinking and life-saving actions.
Gretchen said her mom's spirits are good and she is able to socialize with her friends, despite the loss of mobility Gretchen lives and works in Southern California and travels to Visalia frequently to care for her mother. Gretchen Beck says despite her limited mobility, her mother is doing well and adjusting to the prosthetic leg.
Rupp, who has worked at Carrows for 11 years, credits her 110-hours of emergency medical technician certified training and ability to remain calm in critical situations with allowing her to do what was needed.
Moos was just getting to work when Rupp, who had just run from the restaurant to offer help, summoned him to run into the restaurant, grab towels to stem the flow of blood and cover the obvious severe wounds. Moos also helped keep on-lookers back before an ambulance crew and others arrived. Rupp, who immediately realized how severe the leg injury was, told Moose to hand over his belt to be fashioned into a make-shift tourniquet.
Rupp said Beck was alert and was trying to get up and appeared to be in mild-shock and unaware just how severely she had been injured. “I knew she wasn't aware of how serious it was and I didn't want her to see the injury,” Rupp said, “I just tried to comfort her, told her to stay calm and lay back.”
“I was really happy to see the ambulance,” Rupp said, adding that she did everything she could do without the tools to check vital signs, including blood pressure.
Rupp returned to work after Beck had been transported to the hospital but constantly was concerned if Beck was going to be alright.”
Rupp said she had seen Beck, who lives near
Carrows, several times and recognized her but didn't know
her that well.
Kellie Ryan, manager of Carrows, praised Rupp and Moos
noting they had the presence of mind to handle a situation
immediately and prevent a bad accident from what might
have been a fatal situation.
The above stories are the property of The Valley Voice Newspaper and may not be reprinted without explicit permission in writing from the publisher.
June 17, 2010
