California Ag Network

Tag: the San Luis Delta Mendota Water Authority

  • Partnership, Funding Award to Advance South of Delta Drought Resiliency Pilot Program

    The United States Department of Interior, United States Bureau of Reclamation, along with the Friant Water Authority (FWA), San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority (SLDMWA), and the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority (SJRECWA), are pleased to announce the execution of a groundbreaking Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish a South of Delta Drought Resiliency Framework. This partnership establishes a program and advances projects that increase regional climate resilience in the San Joaquin Valley, and its implementation is being advanced through funding provided by the United States Bureau of Reclamation from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (“IIJA”) and the Inflation Reduction Act (“IRA”), which nearly doubled the annual funding provided to the Bureau of Reclamation over eight years. Today marks a significant milestone to improve climate resilience for the communities, farms, and ecosystems served by the Central Valley Project (CVP) contractors south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. ​

    Over the past decade, California has experienced unprecedented hydrologic variability, recording six of the driest years as well as two of the wettest years in California’s nearly 100-year historical hydrologic record.  While the historic unpredictability of hydrology in the state is the reason the CVP was built to begin with, the impacts of ever growing regulatory constraints on project operations has exacerbated the hydrologic variability, resulting in significantly reduced reliability of CVP water supplies for the Water Authorities’ member agencies. The Authorities involved in this MOU have collectively identified projects and potential actions aimed at enhancing drought resiliency south of the Delta, which will be referred to as the “South of Delta Drought Resiliency Framework.”

    The MOU establishes a cooperative and collaborative approach to implement drought resiliency projects and provides a framework for the Parties to work together, set short and long-term goals, and ensure successful implementation. The MOU is a living document that will evolve and change over time, with periodic updates to reflect progress made and new components identified. ​

    Key components of the Framework include: ​

    1. The development and implementation of a Drought Plan that allows participating entities to voluntarily conserve and securely store or exchange a portion of their CVP south of Delta deliveries for use in future years with lower supplies, in addition to supporting the advancement of the San Joaquin River Restoration Program.
    2. Allocation of Costs for Large Extraordinary Maintenance (XM) Projects, including the Delta-Mendota Canal (DMC) Subsidence Correction Project.
    3. Commitment by the Bureau of Reclamation and SJRECWA to develop processes to ensure that the San Joaquin River Restoration Program can provide specific flows past Sack Dam via the San Joaquin River to Mendota Pool.
    4. Resolution on the Del Puerto Canyon Reservoir Project by FWA and the Exchange Contractors to ensure it supports the objectives outlined in the Drought Plan.

    “It is critical that we not only continue to invest in new infrastructure to capture and store water to prepare for future dry years, but that we work collaboratively to make the most of the resources we currently have. This agreement marks a new level of cooperation that will help to mitigate the impact of droughts on urban, agricultural, and environmental water users in our region, and to advance the goals of the San Joaquin River Restoration Program while maintaining water rights. We appreciate the collaboration of our partners as well as the Bureau of Reclamation for their commitment and resources for this effort,” said Chris White, Executive Director of the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority.

    “As water operations certainty continues to decrease, and once reliable supplies become less so, it’s critical for water agencies and water managers to work together to find creative ways to meet our common goals”, said Jason Phillips, CEO of the Friant Water Authority.  “The agreement between our neighbors in the Valley, the San Luis & Delta Mendota Water Authority and the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority, as well as our partners at the Bureau of Reclamation, will help bring some predictability to water allocations and will help to provide certainty for the farms and communities we represent.  These efforts and outcomes are not easily achieved, but are a welcomed development and hopefully a sign of more partnering in the future.”

    “Today’s announcement is a positive step forward to improve climate resilience for the urban and rural communities, wildlife and wildlife enthusiasts, and agricultural productivity that the Water Authority’s member agencies support,” said Federico Barajas, Executive Director of the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority. “This partnership – coordinated between the federal government and south of delta water users – and associated funding award will allow us to implement projects to improve our ability to manage water supplies across the dry years we know will come. This year’s allocation highlights the water supply reliability challenges that impact our members across all year types and further reinforces the need to develop proactive solutions to improve reliability. Today’s announcement advances one such solution and establishes a framework for south-of-delta water users and Reclamation to work together to improve outcomes for the San Joaquin Valley.”

    The South of Delta Drought Resiliency Framework represents a significant step towards ensuring a more reliable water supply for communities, farms, and ecosystems dependent on the Central Valley Project.

    The Exchange Contractors Water Authority, Friant Water Authority, and San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority express their gratitude for the funding provided by the United States Bureau of Reclamation and emphasize the need to secure additional funding to move these projects forward.

    About the Project Area
    The CVP water supplied by the Water Authorities member agencies serves approximately 2.5 million acres of agricultural lands within the San Joaquin, Santa Clara, and San Benito Valleys, a portion of the water supply for nearly 4 million people, including in urban areas within Santa Clara County referred to as the “Silicon Valley,” Fresno and Kern Counties, and millions of waterfowl that depend upon up to 200,000 acres of managed wetlands and other critical habitat within the largest contiguous wetland in the western United States.

    FWA is a joint-powers authority formed in 2004 by public agencies that receive water from the Friant Division of the Central Valley Project. Its primary purposes are to operate and maintain the Friant-Kern Canal and to serve the information and representation needs of its member agencies.

  • $15 Million Grant for Delta-Mendota Canal Floating Solar Project

    The San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority (SLDMWA) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a $15 million grant from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for its Delta-Mendota Canal Floating Solar Project. This grant, made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, will support the development, installation, and operation of a solar-over-canal pilot project and associated study to assess the viability of floating solar technologies on the Delta-Mendota Canal (DMC).

    The Delta-Mendota Canal Floating Solar Project aims to explore the potential of using floating solar panels to generate renewable energy while reducing evaporative losses and algal growth in the DMC and assessing the impacts on operations and maintenance of the DMC. SLDMWA, in collaboration with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the University of California, Merced, will assess various technologies and study the design, deployment, and co-benefits of floating solar over canals.

    Federico Barajas, Executive Director of the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority, expressed his gratitude to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for the grant, as well as the support received from the California Congressional delegation, particularly the late Senator Feinstein and California Representatives Jim Costa (D-Fresno) and Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael), who were instrumental in securing the federal authorization in the Inflation Reduction Act.

    “We are honored to receive this grant and grateful for the support of the Bureau of Reclamation and our Congressional Representatives,’ said Barajas. “This funding will allow us to advance our shared objectives of exploring the potential of integrating renewable energy into water project operations, improving the quality of water delivered to our contractors, and maximizing the use of every drop of water in California by potentially reducing conveyance losses.”

    The Delta-Mendota Canal Floating Solar Project will span five years and involve multiple phases, including site selection, engineering, construction, operation and maintenance. The project will assess the viability of floating solar arrays, optimal tethering, and power connection options, the potential for reduced evaporation and algal growth, and potential recommendations for operation and maintenance requirements. It will also provide valuable insights for future solar canal installations across the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s canal system.

    SLDMWA will work with the University of California, Merced, to collect and analyze data on the performance of the floating solar modules in the canal system. This data will inform the project’s outcomes and contribute to a scale-up analysis that can assist in guiding future investments in solar over canals. The University of California, Merced, is already gathering information and collaborating with structural solar associated with Project Nexus, a project advanced by the Turlock Irrigation District using grant funding from the State of California.

    The Delta-Mendota Canal Floating Solar Project has a total budget of $15 million, with the grant funding provided by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The project will be managed by SLDMWA, with support from its partners and the research expertise of the University of California, Merced.

    A study by the University of California, Merced gives a boost to the idea, estimating that 63 billion gallons of water could be saved by covering California’s 4,000 miles of canals with solar panels that could also generate 13 gigawatts of power. That’s enough for the entire city of Los Angeles from January through early October.

    About San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority: The San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority is a joint powers authority that operates and maintains the Delta-Mendota Canal and associated transferred works for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. SLDMWA is committed to advancing sound natural resources policy and exploring innovative solutions that improve climate resilience in California.

    About U.S. Bureau of Reclamation: The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency responsible for managing, developing, and protecting water resources in the Western United States. The Bureau of Reclamation supports projects that advance the integration of renewable energy and promote clean energy solutions.

    About University of California, Merced:  UC Merced is a research university located in Merced County, California. The university’s research expertise on the water-energy nexus will contribute to the study and analysis of the Delta-Mendota Canal Floating Solar Project, providing valuable insights for future solar canal installations.

  • San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority Mourns Loss of Longtime Byron-Bethany Irrigation District General Manager, Rick Gilmore

    Rick Gilmore, age 61, of Stockton, passed away on May 14th, 2023, of natural causes.

    Rick was born June 25, 1961 in Paragould, Arkansas, one of two boys, his brother David passed in 1997. He is fondly remembered for his kindness and fierce loyalty, his wry sense of humor and for his willingness to stand up and fight for what he believed in. He is survived by his mother, Shirley Schultz.

    Rick was as a titan of California’s water industry. His steadfast tenacity and devotion to protect agriculture and multi-generational farmers made a significant, lasting impact not only in the Tracy area, but across the state.

    He worked his way up from humble beginnings. In 1983, Rick joined the Byron-Bethany Irrigation District (BBID) as a ditch tender. Over the years, he rose through the ranks and in 1999 he became BBID’s General Manager. Rick served dutifully in that capacity until March 2022, when he went on a medical leave of absence. Rick was an encyclopedia of knowledge about BBID and could recite, from memory, anything from the intricate details of water policy, to the inner workings of District facilities, to moments large and small from the District’s 100-plus year history. Rick was also very active in a number of water related organizations such as the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA), the San Luis Delta Mendota Water Authority, and others.

    Rick was a beloved, larger-than-life figure in the local community and amongst his colleagues in the water profession. He cared deeply for his family, colleagues and the community BBID serves, and changed countless lives with his incredible energy, generosity, and support. Rick referred to the team of BBID’s consultants simply as “the BBID Family,” and hosted numerous dinners and holiday parties at District Headquarters with his partner, the late Kelley Geyer.

    In the midst of historic drought in 2015, Rick was the steady hand that guided the District in its successful challenge of the State Water Board when it curtailed BBID’s water supply. BBID’s unprecedented, resounding victories before the State Water Board and Santa Clara Superior Court strengthened the oldest water rights in California to this day. It would not have been possible without Rick’s leadership, courage, and intellect – and his belief that BBID would ultimately prevail despite incredible odds and enormous stakes.

    That’s the kind of person he was – the kind of person who would see something all the way through, no matter how difficult; no matter how hard he had to work. People like Rick are unique and rare.

    A memorial celebrating Rick’s life will be held June 1, 2023. Further details will be posted on BBID’s website at www.bbid.org. Friends and loved ones are welcome to attend. Click here for additional details.