Water Operations

The Water Operations Department is under the oversight and direction of the District Watermaster, Marco Crenshaw.  The Water Operations department manages surface water supplies during flood control operations and irrigation deliveries.  The District is broken down into six different District Runs, which are assigned to a designated ditchtender.  The Ditchtender for each run is responsible for managing surface water supplies and deliveries within that run.  

Water orders must be placed 24-hours in advance with the District Water Operations Department at (559) 686-3425.  All irrigation deliveries will be made in the sequence that they are received and all efforts will be made to coordinate a desired start-time with each landowner.  Water must be delivered through District turnouts and will be volumetrically measured.  Any landowner that uses water out of turn without permission from the District shall forfeit their right to water at the next regular irrigation and is also subject to criminal prosecution.  Any landowner wasting water on roads, vacant land, or land previously irrigated, either willfully, carelessly, or on account of defective ditches or inadequately prepared land, or who shall flood certain portions of the land to an unreasonable depth or amount in order to properly irrigate other portions will be refused the use of water until such conditions are remedied.  Landowners shall notify the District when an irrigation has ceased and surface water is no longer required.

In the event of an emergency or to report damages or canal breaches, please contact the District office at (559) 686-3425.

Groundwater Recharge Operations

The Water Operations Department also manages and tracks groundwater activities within the District.  During years when excess water is available the District has access to approximately 1,250 acres of groundwater recharge ponds to carry out groundwater recharge efforts.  The District also monitors groundwater levels within the District in conformity with its Groundwater Management Plan and for the California Statewide Groundwater Elevation Monitoring (CASGEM) Program.  Depth to groundwater measurements are taken throughout the district twice a year, in the spring and fall of each year, and depth to groundwater levels are reported.


Current and future operations of groundwater recharge and monitoring efforts will be performed in coordination with the Mid-Kaweah Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA). The Mid-Kaweah GSA was formed in 2015 by Tulare Irrigation District, in partnership with the City of Tulare and City of Visalia, in response to the State legislature’s passage of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act in 2014. Two officers of the Tulare Irrigation District serve on the six-member Mid-Kaweah GSA Board of Directors. The Mid-Kaweah GSA Board of Directors is further supported by an Advisory Committee which includes representation of the area’s agricultural community.

For additional information about the Mid-Kaweah GSA and the District's involvement, visit:


www.midkaweah.org

2010 Groundwater Management Plan

Groundwater Elevation Monitoring Plan (CASGEM Plan)



Bi-Annual Depth to Groundwater Maps:


Spring 2016 Depth to Groundwater Map

Fall 2016 Depth to Groundwater Map

Spring 2017 Depth to Groundwater Map

Fall 2017 Depth to Groundwater Map

Spring 2018 Depth to Groundwater Map

Fall 2018 Depth to Groundwater Map

Spring 2019 Depth to Groundwater Map

Fall 2019 Depth to Groundwater Map 

Spring 2020 Depth to Groundwater Map

Fall 2020 Depth to Groundwater Map

Spring 2021 Depth to Groundwater Map

Fall 2021 Depth to Groundwater Map

Spring 2022 Depth to Groundwater Map

 

Mid-Kaweah GSA Advisory Committee

This community-based committee was established in 2015 and is appointed by the Board of Directors of the Mid-Kaweah Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA), a joint powers authority formed by the City of Tulare in partnership with the City of Visalia and Tulare Irrigation District. The 11-member Mid-Kaweah GSA Advisory Committee provides decision making and public outreach support to the agency’s Board of Directors. 

Members of the Advisory Committee must reside with the jurisdictional boundaries of the agency or have a business located within this boundary. Members are appointed by the Board of Directors to a three year term and must satisfy attendance requirements.

As a standing committee of the Mid-Kaweah GSA, all Advisory Committee meetings are subject to the Brown Act and open to the public. The agency board seeks to maintain balanced representation on the committee through appointments that consider the groundwater interests of members. To this end, the Board strives to fill seats as follows:

  • Up to three members representing the agricultural community;
  • Up to three members representing private water purveyors or related non-governmental organizations operating within the GSA;
  • Up to three members representing environmental interests and/or disadvantaged communities; and
  • At-large

For more information about the Mid-Kaweah GSA Advisory Committee or apply to become a committee member, visit: www.midkaweah.org/advisorycommittee.

For more information about the Mid-Kaweah GSA Joint Powers Authority, visit: http://www.tulare.ca.gov/government/boards-commissions-committees/mid-kaweah-groundwater-sub-basin-jpa-gsa

Agricultural Management Plans

In compliance with the United States Department of Interior, Bureau of Reclamation and the California Department of Water Resources the District has prepared the following reports:

USBR 2010 Ag Water Management Plan

DWR 2012 Ag Water Management Plan