By Sonia Lemus, SJV Water
Discussions among Kern County agricultural water districts on whether to continue funding the Delta Conveyance Project (DCP) are ramping up.
The project proposes to move Sacramento River water through a massive tunnel under the environmentally sensitive Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
Kern ag district participation is key to helping pay for the $20 billion project, as the districts, collectively, make up the second largest contractor on the State Water Project, at nearly 1 million acre feet per year. The contract is held by the Kern County Water Agency on behalf of 13 local ag districts.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is the SWP’s largest contractor. MWD recently agreed to pay its share of $141 million of $300 million the Department of Water Resources needs to begin the planning and preconstruction phase of the project.
The state is waiting to hear whether Kern districts will pay their $33 million share.
The Wheeler Ridge-Maricopa Water Storage District board of directors held a special meeting last week to get updated on the project. Staff recommended the board continue its participation. If water districts don’t participate, they can’t get water through the tunnel.
But board members had questions and conditions.
They wanted progress toward improving affordability for ag and a commitment from the Kern County Water Agency to pursue policy changes with the state.
And they wanted to know how “Article 21” water would be handled if the tunnel were operational.
Article 21 refers to excess water in the system after all contractors have received their full allotment and there is more precipitation in the forecast.
Board member Jonathan Reiter laid out his understanding of an Article 21 water scenario: “San Luis (reservoir) fills, all the DCP contractors or participants are full in what they can take in terms of Article 21. The tunnels and the aqueducts have capacity to export water, but they are not going to because they are going to shut it down? Even though they could pump water and there is state water contractor demand?”
Robert Kunde, a consultant for Wheeler Ridge, said “No.”
If there is demand the state would supply that.
“The distinction you are trying to make is who (is the state) moving (water) for and how does it affect DCP participants and non-participants. It is a very complicated subject. I sat through several DCP contractor amendment meetings where they tried to sort that out, and I still don’t completely understand it.”
Reiter said that should be hashed out and understood as it is an important part of Wheeler Ridge’s decision making.
“In 2023, we had a lot of success bringing Article 21 water into the district…the more water we bring in, the less of an issue we are going to have around subsidence (land sinking). And what was shown in years like 2023 is that the (California) Aqueduct actually comes up in elevation.
“So, it matters for our banking investments, our banking inventories, it matters for our recharge program, it matters for subsidence, (Sustainable Groundwater Management Act groundwater) compliance. The answer to that question is critical.”
Kunde noted Reiter’s request and said he would do his best to get a response.
Wheeler Ridge will meet again March 12 to vote on whether to participate. Manager Sheridan Nicholas said the Kern County Agency would be taking input from its member units and decide at its late March meeting whether Kern would continue to participate.
How to attend: 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
