Ridenbaugh Press/Water Rights

David Murillo, Regional Director for the Bureau of Reclamation’s Mid-Pacific Region, announces the selection of Drew Lessard as Area Manager for the Central California Area Office, located at Folsom Dam, 23 miles east of Sacramento. As the Area Manager, Lessard is responsible for the operation of Folsom, Nimbus, New Melones and Monticello dams.

“Drew has worked at CCAO since 2000 as a Civil Engineer, as the Deputy Area Manager and most recently as the Acting Area Manager. With his experience, management skills and expertise working with customers and stakeholders, he is the ideal choice for this critical position,” stated Murillo.

As Area Manager, Lessard is responsible for Reclamation programs and facilities in the central part of California. CCAO encompasses twelve counties and includes the Central Valley Project’s American River Division (Folsom Dam, powerplant and reservoir; Nimbus Dam and powerplant and Lake Natoma), the Auburn-Folsom South Unit (the Auburn Dam site and the Folsom-South Canal), the Eastside Division (New Melones Dam, powerplant and reservoir on the Stanislaus River) and the Solano Project (Monticello Dam, Lake Berryessa and the Putah South Canal).

CCAO’s jurisdiction extends from the coast to the crest of the Sierra Nevada and from the American River Basin to the Stanislaus River Basin. CCAO manages recreation at Lake Berryessa and New Melones and has a long-term managing partnership agreement with the California Department of Parks and Recreation for recreation management at Folsom Lake, Lake Natoma and the Auburn Recreation Area.

The Bureau of Reclamation has released the Final Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for the approval of five-year Warren Act contracts for conveyance of non-Central Valley Project groundwater in the Tehama-Colusa and Corning canals in Northern California, when excess capacity is available. The 30-day public comment period for the Draft EA and FONSI ended on May 13; no comments were received.

The contracts will be with seven or more of the 17 water districts served by the Sacramento Canals Unit of the CVP for a five-year period beginning with Water Contract Year 2013. A combined total of up to 44,000 acre-feet could be transported in each year. Groundwater would be pumped from existing wells and conveyed through existing facilities.

The Final Environmental Assessment and Findings of No Significant Impact were prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act and are available online at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_projdetails.cfm?Project_ID=13151.

The Bureau of Reclamation has released Draft Water Banking Criteria for banking Central Valley Project water outside of a contractor’s contract service area. Reclamation developed these criteria to implement water banking as authorized by the Central Valley Project Improvement Act and as allowed by certain federal contracts.

Reclamation recognizes groundwater banking as an important water management tool in optimizing the use of CVP water while addressing groundwater overdraft in certain areas.

These criteria will apply to contractors under contract with Reclamation for water service or repayment, water rights settlement, exchange, or other applicable contracts requesting to bank CVP water outside of their contract service area. These criteria set forth the standards under which Reclamation may approve banking and recovering of CVP water outside of the contractor’s contract service area boundary, while protecting the integrity of the CVP.

Written comments on the criteria must be received by the close of business on June 21

Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Michael L. Connor announced $2.1 million will be made available under the WaterSMART Basin Study program to enable Reclamation to partner with local entities to conduct comprehensive studies of river basins in Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Nevada and Oregon.

“Western communities are extremely dependent upon the river basins in which they reside,” Commissioner Connor said. “These basin studies are critical to assess the long-term supply and demand for water and to develop collaborative solutions that will sustain communities and support healthy rivers long into the future.”

The San Diego Basin in California and West Salt River Valley Basin in Arizona were selected for Basin Studies. Basin Studies are comprehensive water studies that define options for meeting future water demands in river basins in the western United States where imbalances in water supply and demand exist or are projected to exist.

The Carson River Basin in California and Nevada, Willamette River Basin in Oregon and Arkansas River Basin in Colorado and Kansas were chosen for plans of study. A plan of study helps a cost-share partner—such as a local water district–define the outcomes and set the scope and focus for a potential future Basin Study. Reclamation and the cost-share partners in each case will develop the plans of study jointly.

The projects are:

Carson River Basin Plan of Study, Carson River Subsconservancy District
Non-Federal Funding: $75,000; Federal Funding: $75,000
The Carson River Basin encompasses approximately 3,965 square miles, spanning west-central Nevada and eastern California. The Carson River originates in the Sierra Nevada range and terminates at the Carson Sink in Nevada. The basin provides water for 57,000 acres of irrigated agriculture, 160,000 people and a strategic buffer zone for the Fallon Naval Air Station. It includes the Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge, habitat for two species of fish listed under the Endangered Species Act. The Carson River is over-appropriated and also has a highly variable hydrologic cycle that leads to frequent floods and droughts. The Carson River Subconservancy District, a bi-state consortium of city and county governments, will work with Reclamation to develop a comprehensive plan of study. The proposed Basin Study will assess water supply and demand imbalances and evaluate water management actions under a range of potential future uncertainties.

San Diego Watershed Basin Study, San Diego Public Utilities Department
Non-Federal Funding: $1,082,244 Federal Funding: $1,025,000
San Diego is the eighth largest city in the United States and the second largest city in California. San Diego currently imports up to 90 percent of its water supplies from the Colorado River and northern California. The proposed study area is the San Diego Integrated Regional Water Management region, which includes the San Diego watershed. The San Diego watershed covers an area of 217 square miles and is home to 1.8 million people. The proposed Basin Study will provide a quantitative analysis of the uncertainties associated with the impacts of climate change on water supplies and demands and focus on adaptation strategies that optimize reservoir systems within the study area to advance indirect potable reuse.

Arkansas River Basin Plan of Study, Southwest Kansas Groundwater Management District 3
Non-Federal Funding: $150,000 Federal Funding: $100,000
The Arkansas River provides irrigation for more than 270,000 acres in eastern Colorado and western Kansas. Poor water quality in the river near the border of Colorado and Kansas poses challenges for municipal and agricultural water users including reduced crop yields, high saline soil, surface water shortages and increased groundwater pumping from the Ogallala Aquifer. The proposed Arkansas River Basin Study Plan of Study will identify potential study partners and stakeholders to participate in a future Basin Study. It also will identify the basin study team and climate team and allow them to work with local entities to develop an interstate water plan that addresses current and future water quality and quantity issues to ensure that the local health and economy remain viable.

Willamette River Basin Plan of Study, Oregon Water Resources Department
Non-Federal Funding: $50,000 Federal Funding: $50,000
The Willamette River Basin supports approximately 75 percent of Oregon’s population and is the fastest growing area in the state. More than 170 varieties of agricultural crops are grown and sold in the basin, which produces more than 40 percent of the state’s gross farm sales. The basin is rich in native fish and provides critical habitat for several endangered species. Recreation opportunities are abundant, and the basin is one of the most visited destinations for recreational boaters in the state. The proposed Willamette River Basin Study will update a previous assessment of basin water demands completed in 2008 and expand it to include an assessment of future demands as a result of climate change. It will compile in-stream demands quantified through previous studies, aid the implementation of Oregon’s Integrated Water Resources Strategy adopted in 2013 and help evaluate adaptation strategies for securing water in the future.

West Salt River Valley Basin Study, West Valley Central Arizona Project Subcontractors
Non-Federal Funding: $860,000 Federal Funding: $840,000
The West Salt River Valley Basin is located in Maricopa County, Ariz., and includes the greater Phoenix metropolitan area. It is one of the fastest growing counties in the United States. The proposed study will include the development of a clear understanding of regional water supply and demand taking into account climate change and population growth projections. Additionally the study will include the development of strategies to address current and future imbalances in water supply and demand. The basin study will be a collaboration between Reclamation, the West Valley Central Arizona Project subcontractors, the Central Arizona Project (operated by the Central Arizona Water Conservancy District) and the Arizona Department of Water Resources.

The Department of the Interior established WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage America’s Resources for Tomorrow) in February 2010 to facilitate the work of Interior’s bureaus in pursuing a sustainable water supply for the nation. The program focuses on improving water conservation and sustainability and helping water resource managers make sound decisions about water use. It identifies strategies to ensure that this and future generations will have sufficient supplies of clean water for drinking, economic activities, recreation and ecosystem health. The program also identifies adaptive measures to address climate change and its impact on future water demands.

Since its establishment in 2010, WaterSMART has provided more than $161 million in competitively-awarded funding to non-federal partners, including tribes, water districts, municipalities, and universities through WaterSMART Grants and the Title XVI Program. Through WaterSMART and other conservation programs funded over the last three years, a total of more than 616,000 acre-feet of water per year is estimated to have been saved.

The non-federal partners in a basin study must contribute at least 50 percent of the total study cost in non-federal funding or in-kind services. Basin studies are not financial assistance and Reclamation’s share of the study costs may be used only to support work done by Reclamation or its contractors. Non-federal partners include state and city agencies, municipal water districts and flood control districts.

The Bureau of Reclamation’s May 2013, Total Water Supply Available forecast for the Yakima Basin indicates a full water supply for both senior and junior water rights.

“The water conditions at the end of April in the Yakima Basin have reservoir levels above average while snowpack is near average at most sites and below average at a few.” said Chuck Garner, Yakima Project River Operations supervisor.

At this time both junior and senior water rights holders are expected to receive their full water supply. The water supply forecast will be updated each month through July. Specific water delivery levels will not be determined until later in the year when the reservoir system’s storage begins to decline.

The May TWSA forecast is based on flows, precipitation, snowpack, and reservoir storage as of May 1, along with estimates of future precipitation and river flows. Other future weather conditions that determine the timing of the run-off and the demand for water are also critical in determining streamflows, reservoir storage, and the water supply available. “The upcoming spring and summer weather will have an impact on crop demands and stream flow levels. Water saved through good irrigation practices will help increase the amount of water in the reservoirs at the end of the season,” Garner said.

For more information visit our website at http://www.usbr.gov/pn/hydromet/yakima.

The Bureau of Reclamation temporarily reduced water deliveries to irrigation districts in the Columbia Basin Project while engineers assess damage to the Main Canal just below Pinto Dam located in eastern Grant County, Wash.

Water flows in the canal must be reduced so work crews can get to the collapsed concrete panel and assess the damage. Flows were at 7,000 cubic-feet-per-second (cfs) when the crack was reported by a canal ditch rider on Monday.

“We’re reducing flows in the Main Canal, and expect the canal to be at its lowest level by Wednesday evening,” Ephrata Field Office Manager Stephanie Utter said. “While repairs are taking place there will be some disruption in water deliveries directly from the West and East Low Canals later this week.”

People receiving water deliveries from the Quincy-Columbia, East Columbia, and the South Columbia Basin Irrigation Districts should also expect water deliveries to be reduced or interrupted through early next week, Utter said.

The canal will be monitored continuously as repairs are made and water flows are eventually restored early next week. Officials indicate that there is no immediate threat to public safety while this repair work is taking place.

The Bureau of Reclamation announces that sealed bids for agricultural leasing of 6 parcels of federal lease lands, totaling 723 acres, were received until April 22 at the Klamath Basin Area Office.

Open for bid in Area K on the Lower Klamath federal lease lands in Oregon is one grain lot which is pre-irrigated. Open for bid on the Tule Lake federal lease lands in California are Sump 3 – 5 lots which are pre-irrigated. These lots are suitable for grain and/or potatoes & onions. Bidders are encouraged to inspect the available lots prior to bidding.

Bidding forms and instructions, lease information, sample copy of the lease contract, location maps are available at the Klamath Basin Area Office, 6600 Washburn Way, Klamath Falls, OR 97603.
Appropriate bidding documents must be used when submitting bids.

Information on the Lease Lands Program is available on the Klamath Basin Area Office website at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/kbao/operations/land_lease/index.html.

The Bureau of Reclamation’s Albuquerque Area Office and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on April 17 released their Annual Operating Plan for the Middle Rio Grande.

As we head into our third consecutive year of severe drought, Reclamation is focused on working closely with all partners to operate to meet both water user needs and flow targets under the 2003 Biological Opinion for the Rio Grande silvery minnow.

In a dry year, the biological opinion requires Reclamation to keep the river wet to Isleta Diversion Dam. Below that diversion dam and in the San Acacia reach, the river can be dried in a controlled manner after June 15. The current model projection for demand to meet flow requirements is somewhere between 65,000 and 80,000 acre-feet, however that forecast assumes minimal monsoons.

The April forecast data released by the Natural Resources Conservation Service shows snowpack volumes throughout northern New Mexico are approximately 45 percent of average. The inflow at El Vado Reservoir is expected to be about 80,000 acre-feet of water or about 36 percent of average. The inflow at Heron Reservoir is expected to be about 45,000 acre-feet or about 55 percent of average.

Reclamation is currently negotiating additional water leases and expects to have approximately 40,000 to 50,000 acre-feet of water to supplement river flows. Reclamation is working closely with the Army Corps of Engineers, Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority, Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission and other stakeholders to optimize the use of supplemental water. Reclamation will again be working with the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority to move water from El Vado Reservoir to Abiquiu on the weekends to allow for rafting flows on the Rio Chama.

After reviewing the manual snow survey data from the California Department of Water Resources that was provided the week of April 8, the Bureau of Reclamation has determined that due to persistent dry conditions an additional adjustment to the Friant Division allocation is necessary.

In consultation with the Friant Division Contractors and in consideration of the San Joaquin River Restoration Program release schedule, the Friant Division Class 1 water supply allocation is decreased from 55 percent to 50 percent. Class 2 water remains at 0 percent.

Currently, precipitation in the Upper San Joaquin River watershed at Huntington Lake is about 19.7 inches, which is about 53 percent of average for this time of year. Additionally, accumulated natural river flow to date for WY 2013 for the Upper San Joaquin Basin is about 400,000 acre-feet which is about 22 percent of the total water year average of 1.8 million acre-feet, and about 65 percent of the historical average for this date.

The driest January through March on record is causing water supply challenges for much of California, particularly for the Central Valley Project agricultural water service contractors in the western San Joaquin Valley. The Bureau of Reclamation, working closely with the California Department of Water Resources, has implemented several actions to improve water supply conditions south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to the greatest extent possible and is preparing to implement certain additional actions in the near future.

Five specific actions are improving CVP water supplies by more than 100,000 acre-feet to support current westside water allocations. Several other actions to augment future water supplies, including water transfers, could total another 200,000 acre-feet. In addition, new rescheduling guidelines implemented by Reclamation this past winter has allowed CVP contractors to carry over 225,000 acre-feet of their 2012 supplies for use in 2013.

“Reclamation is currently working every prudent avenue, with our partner agencies and customers, to deliver water to where it is needed in this critically dry year,” said Mid-Pacific Regional Director David Murillo. “For the long-term, successful completion of the BDCP, including a new diversion and conveyance facility, would have state of the art protections for the benefit of endangered fish species, would help restore some of the natural flow of water through the Delta, and would provide some certainty and stability to California’s water supply.”

The CVP provides water for agricultural, municipal and industrial, and environmental purposes through complex processes, driven by numerous factors, including hydrology, operational limitations, environmental considerations, regulations, court decisions and a changing climate.

Actions that have been included as factors in calculating the current CVP allocation for south-of-Delta water service contractors:

Delta-Mendota Canal Intertie: Use of the Intertie between the Delta-Mendota Canal and the California Aqueduct, located in Alameda County, west of Tracy, Calif. The Intertie has been used to improve water supplies by 38,000 acre-feet to date in 2013.

Yuba River Accord: Through agreement with the California Department of Water Resources, a portion of the water made available by the Yuba County Water Agency will add to CVP supplies this summer. After system losses, the CVP will likely receive about 24,000 acre-feet.

CVP Water Use Flexibility: Under a “flexibility” agreement, the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors have used alternative sources of water supply early in the year to delay use of CVP water supplies from the Delta. This potentially provides more Delta water supplies for delivery to CVP water service contractors on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley during the peak irrigation season. About 9,000 acre-feet of water demand is projected to be shifted for user later in the year.

Stanislaus River Fishery Flows: Reclamation is accommodating the release of water from senior water rights holders on the Stanislaus River for fishery benefits, with secondary benefits of improving Delta exports to the CVP and State Water Project. The water would be released from New Melones Reservoir in April and May, and a portion would be diverted for CVP and SWP use. About 30,000 acre-feet will likely be available for supplemental CVP allocation.

Refuge Groundwater Pumping: Groundwater wells in the Grasslands Resource Conservation District and the Grassland Water District will be available to pump additional water. Half of the water pumped will be used to meet refuge Level 2 water demands in lieu of using CVP water, with a like amount of water going back into the CVP yield for allocation to the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. The estimated total quantity of pumped groundwater will be about 4,000 acre-feet, making

2,000 acre-feet available to improve CVP supplies.

Reclamation’s actions to augment future water supplies include:

Water Banking: Since 2001, Reclamation has approved 20 requests from CVP contractors to bank CVP water for use in dry years. So far this year, Reclamation has approved the return of 20,000 acre-feet of banked CVP water to south-of-Delta water users for the 2013 water year.

Water Transfers: Reclamation approves the transfer of CVP water and enters into Warren Act contracts for the movement and storage of non-CVP water transfers. Reclamation is evaluating the quantity and timing of water transfer opportunities through the Delta this summer. Transfers allow CVP contractors to augment their CVP allocation. Potential transfers include north-to-south transfers of Yuba River water, estimated at 50,000 acre-feet; east-to-west transfers of 37,000 acre-feet; and San Joaquin River Exchange Contractor Long-Term Transfer Program transfers of about 62,000 acre-feet. Reclamation has approved a south-of-Delta water rights transfer of 12,000 acre-feet and San Joaquin Valley in-basin transfers of 5,620 acre-feet.

Reclamation’s actions are helping to offset the impacts of this year’s dry hydrology, exacerbated earlier this winter when pumping was restricted for a certain period of time to protect salmon and other fish species, leading to the loss of approximately 250,000 acre-feet of water for south-of-Delta CVP contractors.