Board of Directors
President
David Bixler
Vice President
Richard Borges
Michael Thomas
Dave Martin
General Manager
J. Paul Hendrix
The Board of Directors holds regular public meetings on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 9:00 am at the District office in Tulare.

In This Issue:

Agreement with
City of Tulare
Cover
Discharges from
Agricultural Lands
Cover
San Joaquin River Issues
2
ACWA’s Water Supply
Assessment
3
Valley Water Alliance
Update
3

Tulare Irrigation District
1350 W. San Joaquin Ave.
Tulare, California 93274

Founded in 1889, Tulare ID was one of the first irrigation districts in California. Its purpose is to serve the water supply needs of the greater Tulare area, a rich and agriculturally diverse region within the Southern San Joaquin Valley. The water provided comes locally from the Kaweah River and is also imported from the Federal Central Valley Project.

LOOK INSIDE…
Agreement with City of Tulare
Discharges from Agricultural Lands
San Joaquin River Issues
ACWA’s Water Supply Assessment
Valley Water Alliance Update
Visit Us At…
www.tulareid.org

The TID Tidings is published quarterly by the Tulare Irrigation District. Questions about the articles or items appearing in the TID Tidings can be answered by reaching the Tulare ID office at (559) 686-3425

TID TIDINGS

3rd Quarter 2005

Important Dates to Remember
SEPTEMBER
8th Water Quality Control Workshop
OCTOBER
31st Last day to pay water bills before transferred to taxes
NOVEMBER
1st TID tax assessment mailing

Page 2

Page 3

The Valley Water Alliance (VWA) is a recently-formed organization whose aim is to educate the public about the importance of the San Joaquin River as a water supply source for numerous farms and municipalities throughout the east side of the valley. See the enclosed August newsletter from VWA for current information on their important activities.

VALLEY WATER ALLIANCE UPDATE

Early History
It’s been on both TID’s and the City of Tulare’s “to-do” list for some time, but we can finally now point to a renewed agreement to replace the original one signed in 1954. Like its predecessor, the key provisions of the agreement were the payment by the City of TID assessments for lands annexed into the City and the acceptance of City-generated storm water runoff into the District’s canal system. Putting in place this agreement meant revisiting one of the more contentious periods in the long-standing relationship between these two neighbors and reaffirming the earlier conviction that the two entities are bound together in ways that make working together a necessity.
During that era, the City was looking for a place to dispose of its storm water runoff from City streets and other newly-developed lots. TID was dealing with the financial impacts of losing agricultural acreage to such urban development. Further, both the City and TID saw benefits in TID’s quest to secure a contract for a new surface water supply from Lake Millerton on the San Joaquin River. Such new water would mean greater opportunities to deliver canal water to TID farmers and the dedication of some of it to recharging groundwater supplies which had been dwindling rapidly. This in turn would mean improved groundwater conditions for both TID’s farmers and City dwellers as both relied then (as they do now) on underground water supplies. However, overshadowing all of this were arguments over the payment of TID taxes by either the City’s homeowners or by the City itself.
The oft-talked about feud between the City and TID filled the pages of the local newspapers over many issues in the early 1950’s. The Visalia Times-Delta called it the “wildest financial tangle in the City’s 80-year history,” the settlement of which included the choices “lawsuits, compromise, or surrender.” An uncontroversial pact had been reached in 1948 but, after just a few years, disputes arose as to canal maintenance in and around the town’s edge and payment of TID taxes on properties annexed into the City. Both sides threatened legal action.
Finally the two entities ironed out the details amicably and, in 1954, a new agreement was signed. Although not explicitly addressed in the agreement, there was a general feeling that cooperation was called for and that TID would soon be providing an added benefit to
Continued on page 2

AGREEMENT WITH CITY OF TULARE

NRDC Lawsuit
The spotlight remains squarely on the San Joaquin River in terms of the numerous efforts and legal challenges collectively working towards restoring flows in the river below Friant Dam for fishery restoration purposes. The biggest issue confronting the Friant water users is the now 17-year old lawsuit filed by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Things are now beginning to come to a head in this case, with a trial date set for February 2006. After a failed several-year attempt to settle the case, the Friant water contractors, of which TID is one, now find themselves headed into a time-consuming process in preparing for the trial. A lot is riding on the court decisions that will be the outcome of this trial, and we must set aside other activities and workloads to ensure that our collective defense is not slighted.
The federal judge in this case, Lawrence Karlton, has thus far given every indication that his ultimate rulings will not be at all favorable to Friant and that we may find ourselves dealing with a decision that equates to a significant loss of imported water to our region. In August 2004 he determined that a State Fish and Game Code (DFG) provision would supercede all other federal water right permits and water service contracts and require releases down the river to sustain the historic salmon fishery. Then in July of this year he ruled that the renewal for another 25 years of the Friant water supply contracts back in 2001 was in violation of the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). Neither of these decisions by Judge Karlton bode well for Friant contractors or USBR, the owner/operator of Lake Millerton/Friant Dam.
This July’s decision could give cause for Judge Karlton to invalidate our, and other contractors’, current 25-year contract but this has not happened yet. He may not choose to do so as this action would allow an immediate appeal by the Friant contractors, sending the case out of Judge Karlton’s courthouse (and control) and up to the Ninth Circuit jurisdiction for consideration and action there. What currently remains in motion is the judge’s determination that there be a remedy phase of the trial which will define what remedial actions, if any, must be made to the operation of the Friant Unit to accommodate the aforementioned DFG code provision and mitigate for the alleged ESA violation. This is the process to be played out commencing in February 2006.
Senator Machado Bill
Senator Machado’s (D-Linden) recently-proposed bill regarding San Joaquin River restoration, SB 350, has been withdrawn by him due to lack of sufficient legislator support for ultimate passage. This result has been one bright spot in a series of setbacks regarding the fight to sustain San Joaquin River diversions to Friant contractors, and one that Friant’s political and public relations efforts have proven influential in.
The bill would have set aside over $9 million of state bond funds for river restoration activities. The Friant contractors felt that such a plan and associated funding would preempt the outcome of the NRDC lawsuit and was therefore premature. Amendments were offered to make the bill more acceptable to Friant, but these were in large part not accepted and the bill was instead withdrawn. San Joaquin Valley legislators were particularly helpful in expressing concerns over the intent of the bill and its premature nature, and our thanks go out to Assembly Member Bill Maze, our local representative on the committee which was considering the bill.

SAN JOAQUIN RIVER ISSUES

Just a few months after its initial release, the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) No Time to Waste: A Blueprint for California Water is gaining endorsements and momentum around the state. The Blueprint lays out a diverse mix of actions and investments that will help California meet its water supply needs in the coming decades.
June, July and August have been extremely busy months in ACWA’s quest to get the Blueprint on the street and into the hands of legislators, water groups, opinion leaders and the media. ACWA staff and members have also been meeting with legislators, legislative staff, and key newspaper editorial boards to let them know the importance of enacting the policies contained within the document without delay.
Recognizing the importance of implementing the Blueprint, a growing number of ACWA members, including TID, are taking it upon themselves to pass resolutions supporting it.
Those that have already passed such resolutions in support of the Blueprint include: Helix WD, Imperial ID,Bear Valley CSD, Las Virgenes MWD,Valley Center MWD,Mesa Consolidated WD,Metropolitan WD of So. Calif.,California Infrastructure Coalition, Co. of Kings Board of Supervisors,Santa Fe ID,Tulare Lake Basin WSD, Castaic Lake WA,Sweetwater Authority, and Sacramento Suburban WD.
The Blueprint’s recommendations include investments in both infrastructure and programs to improve water supplies, water use efficiency, water quality and environmental health. The recommended actions are designed to address short- and long-term statewide water needs, complement and build on local efforts, and promote integrated regional water management plans that will play a critical role in California’s future.
“This document is providing the basis for the discussion of California water issues for years to come,” said ACWA Executive Director Steve Hall. “The plan contained in the Blueprint will lead this state to responsible water management while protecting California’s unique natural resources far into the future.”
The Blueprint was Developed by a task force of water officials throughout the state, including TID’s General Manager. It is intended to serve as a roadmap for state and federal leaders to follow to ensure California has the water supply system it will need to support people, jobs and ecosystems in the future. The document was formally presented to the Schwarzenegger administration on May 4 at ACWA’s 2005 Spring Conference, and circulated to the Bush administration, Congress, the Legislature, opinion leaders and the media.
In addition to the action plan, the Blueprint includes a detailed discussion of pressing regional needs and actions to help address them.
Some of the recommendations are:·Improve the existing Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta water conveyance system to increase flexibility and enhance water supply, water quality, levee stability and environmental protection in the near term.
·Evaluate long-term threats to the Delta levee and conveyance system and pursue actions to reduce risks to the state’s water supply and the environment
·Ensure delivery of adequate Colorado River supplies for Southern California and defend California’s rights on the Colorado River.
·Improve the quality of California’s drinking water supplies to safeguard public health and enhance water quality for agriculture and the environment.·Modernize the federal Endangered Species Act and other laws and regulations to allow water infrastructure projects, water supply and water quality activities to proceed while protecting species and habitats.
·Expedite the approval process for voluntary water transfers.
In addition, the Blueprint summarizes specific efforts needed throughout the state on a regional basis. It says that the “San Joaquin Valley, home of three of the top agricultural producing counties in the nation, is one of the fastest growing areas of the state but faces water quality and drainage problems, serious groundwater overdraft, and unreliable surface water availability. Additionally, the communities along the San Joaquin River below Friant Dam and the south Delta confront challenges of impaired water quality, including low oxygen levels, as well as inability to capture flows in the river which have already been dedicated to outflow requirements. Potential court-mandated changes to operation of Friant Dam could add significant new challenges both in maintaining adequate surface storage and addressing groundwater overdraft.
ACWA recommends that state and federal agencies help the San Joaquin Valley by developing additional surface and groundwater storage, including potential storage on the upper portion of the San Joaquin River, and by implementing the Delta Improvements Package. We also recommend that the agencies provide financial assistance to develop local and regional conjunctive use programs and expedite the water transfer process. Additionally, small towns throughout the San Joaquin Valley are badly in need of technical and financial assistance to upgrade treatment systems to meet new drinking water standards.
For more information, read the Blueprint on ACWA’s Web site, www.acwa.com.

ACWA WATER SUPPLY ASSESSMENT

Pictured above are a typical City well (top) and ag. well (bottom). Although the City wells are deeper, both draw from the same limited water supply source.

As you probably have read or heard, the state is imposing new regulations designed to encourage farmers to sign on with a local coalition and pay fees to the state for a continued right to claim a waiver from state non-point discharge regulations and associated permits. Our local group the Kaweah & St. Johns Rivers Association is administering such a sub-watershed coalition and you’ve probably received literature and fee schedules from them regarding this new body of regulations. The Regional Water Quality Control Board, the state agency responsible for administering these regulations, is holding a workshop at the Tulare County Ag. Building Auditorium (4437 S. Laspina St.) on September 8th at 2:30 p.m. to explain in more detail the operation of this waiver program. At the workshop will be an overview of the program and details concerning the qualifications to be covered under a waiver. You are encouraged to attend this important workshop. Additional local information can be obtained by contacting Mark Larsen with the local Kaweah coalition at 747-5601. Also, see the state’s web site www.waterboards.ca.gov/contralvalley/ and click on “Irrigated Lands Program” for more information and history regarding this topic.

DISCHARGES FROM AGRICULTURAL LANDS

Continued from page 1
the region by virtue of its newly-acquired contract for water from Lake Millerton.
After this agreement expired in 1988, both parties continued to operate under it but acknowledged the need to strike a new agreement echoing much of the ongoing partnership as laid out in the 1954 agreement. In addition, both parties felt that the City’s continued growth during the previous 50 years, coupled with the renewed emphasis on sustaining water supplies for the region, created opportunities for additional ways to work together not addressed in the original agreement.
New City/TID Committee
Spelled out in the new agreement signed in May is the creation of a joint operations committee to work on such new efforts. Appointed to the committee are Phil Vandegrift and Craig Vejvoda of the City Council and David Bixler and Mike Thomas of the TID Board of Directors. Here are the topics that this new committee plans to delve into:
Storm Water Discharges – With expected continued growth of the City, storm water runoff flows into TID’s canal and ditch system is likewise expected to increase. How much and where these flows ought to enter the system will be determined by this effort.
Canal Encroachments – Urban development of lands adjacent TID’s canals generate the need to provide adequate setbacks or conversion of the canals to buried pipelines. The policy defining how these decisions are to be made will be developed and consideration is going to be given to providing for aesthetic/recreational improvements such as landscaping or trails alongside such canal easements.
Water Management Programs – Considered the most significant of the committee’s efforts, ways to increase the delivery of imported water into the area for groundwater recharge enhancement are to be evaluated in this effort. Included will be possibilities to acquire additional Kaweah water rights and continued evaluation of the feasibility of delivering adequately-treated water from the City treatment plant into TID’s canal system.
Both City and TID officials see the potential for new energy and creative thinking devoted to future ways to enhance the area’s water supplies and strengthen the important agricultural/urban partnership that exists among the City, its businesses and surrounding farmers. Recognizing this partnership, City Council member and Vice Mayor Phil Vandegrift commented that “The future of water in our area is very important to all our area residents, whether they live in cities or operate farms. It is critical that the TID and the City work closely together to make sure our water supplies are adequate for our future generations.” Also, City Council member Craig Vejvoda states that “our community needs to understand that water is a finite commodity and that we cannot overdraft indefinitely. We also need the City and TID to get serious and work together in finding our mutual, long-term, water solutions.” You can plan to hear more on these forward-thinking efforts in future issues of TID Tidings.