By Sonia Lemus, SJV Water
Meetings:
- Rosedale Rio-Bravo Water Storage District
- Arvin-Edison Water Storage District
- Wheeler Ridge-Maricopa Water Storage District
- Cawelo Water District
- Kern Nondistricted Lands Authority
Agenda packets:
- Rosedale Rio-Bravo: CLICK HERE
- Wheeler Ridge-Maricopa: CLICK HERE
- Arvin Edison: CLICK HERE
- Cawelo:CLICK HERE
- Kern Nondistricted Lands: CLICK HERE
Kern Subbasin groundwater plan
Several water districts held public hearings and voted to adopt the latest version of the 2024 Kern Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) that will be submitted to the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) the week of December 16.
Water Board staff recommended the region be put on probation based largely on a 2022 plan that was found inadequate. Kern subbasin districts had submitted a new plan in May 2024, but the inadequate finding was not lifted.
A hearing on whether to put Kern into probationary status is scheduled for Feb. 20,2025.
Under probation, farmers would have to meter and register their wells at $300 each, report extractions to the state and pay $20-per-acre-foot pumped. Those fees are on top of what they already pay to their water districts and groundwater agencies. If locals can’t come up with an acceptable plan after a year in probation, the state could step in and issue its own pumping restrictions.
All districts expressed confidence in the latest plan noting the long hours invested.
- Rosedale Rio-Bravo and Arvin Edison GSA boards adopted the plan Dec. 10.
- Wheeler Ridge-Maricopa GSA adopted the plan Dec. 11.
- Cawelo GSA adopted the plan Dec. 12.
- Kern Nondistricted Lands Authority adopted the plan Dec. 13.
Alongside the adoption of the GSP the districts also approved the second amended Kern County Subbasin Coordination Agreement, which is required for the districts to use the same groundwater measurements and standards. Finally, the districts approved a contract with Self-Help Enterprises to administer a domestic well program to make sure families get emergency water and their wells are repaired if they go dry due to agricultural over pumping.
Delta Conveyance Project
The Delta Conveyance Project (DCP) is a long-envisioned tunnel that would take water from the Sacramento River under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to farms and cities in southern California as part of the State Water Project.
The project is expected to cost $20 billion at full build out and be paid for by the water users, including Kern County water districts, which, collectively, are the second largest contractor within the State Water Project.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is the largest contractor.
The state needs both Met and Kern County to fund the tunnel.
The Department of Water Resources needs $300 million to begin the planning and preconstruction phase of the project. Met recently agreed to pay its share of $141 million. But the state is waiting to hear whether Kern districts will pay their $33 million share.
Met recently sent a letter to DWR outlining how important Kern’s participation is: “It is understood that some participating SWP contractors, specifically agricultural contractors, may not commit to fund pre construction activities for DCP up to their proportionate share… Metropolitan can not be expected to make up the difference. It is critical that DWR ensures that Metropolitan does not pay more than 47.2% of the planning funding.”
Several Kern districts discussed the issue at their latest meetings.
“Without ag, this thing may hit a wall and they are trying to avoid that,” Trent Taylor, water resources manager for Rosedale Rio-Bravo district said at the district’s Dec. 10 meeting. “With that has come a lot of positive conversations regarding affordability and funding for ag districts. I think we will start to hear a lot of the commentary for that and potential actions in the coming months”
Taylor also acknowledged Met’s uncertainty, ”When you are staring down the barrel of an at least $20 billion dollar project, you would hope you would have a little more clarity at this point.”
David Ansolabehere, general manager for the Cawelo Water District questioned if the project would stay at $20 billion during Cawelo’s meeting Dec. 12.
“The final price tag they are saying is $20 billion, it was $15 billion about 15 years ago, there is no way it is not $40 billion at least. Then once the state starts building it, when have they ever built anything close to the budget? So, you are looking at probably a $50- to $60-billion-dollar project, and we can’t even afford a $20-billion-dollar-project.”
A Cawelo water district board member questioned when the board would need to make a decision on funding for the DCP. He was told that it would have to be done by the middle of the 2025 year.
Sheridan Nicholas, general manager of the Wheeler Ridge-Maricopa Water Storage District, asked his board Dec. 11 if they would be available to meet February 26 to discuss what decision the district could make in regards to funding the DCP.
He said he was waiting for the February 20, Kern Subbasin hearing before the Water Board to see if the subbasin would go into probation. That would impact the district’s decision in regards to DCP funding.
How to attend:
Rosedale Rio-Bravo meets at 8 a.m. on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at its district office, 849 Allen Road
Arvin-Edison meets at 12 p.m. on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at its office, 20401 E. Bear Mountain Blvd., or online via Microsoft Teams using the Meeting ID: 286 409 917 101 and Passcode: LbHxDa
Wheeler Ridge meets at 8 a.m. on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at its office, 12109 Hwy 166, or online at https://www.gotomeet.me/WRMWSD
Cawelo meets at 9 a.m. on the 2nd Thursday of each month at its district office, 17207 Industrial Farm Road. You can also join online via Zoom using the Meeting ID: 813 8284 0698 and Passcode: 424688, or via this link.
Kern Nondistricted Lands meets at 2 p.m. on the 4th Monday of each month in the Kern County Water Agency board room, 3200 Rio Mirada Dr, Bakersfield, CA 93308. Or via Zoom using this link.
