KAWEAH RIVER
Reservoir Project Hearings Held
Three Tulare County hearings have been held on plans by water interests to develop a small new Kaweah River reservoir at McKay Point between Lemon Cove and Woodlake.
Hearings were held in Woodlake, Visalia and Tulare on what area residents feel needs to be addressed in environmental studies.
The joint venture being planned by the Tulare Irrigation District, Consolidated Peoples Ditch Company and Kaweah Water Company, .
The reservoir itself, to be located north of the separation of the Kaweah and St. Johns rivers, is expected to take about 120 acres of the jointly owned 500 acres.
It will have an off-stream storage capacity of about 4,000 acre-feet with an average depth of 60 feet. The reservoir structures will allow 500 cubic feet per second of inlet capacity from the Kaweah River; 160 cfs pumping capacity back to the Lower Kaweah River; and 900 cfs return capacity to the St. Johns River.
Cutoff walls will be designed to minimize groundwater intrusion.
The $12 million project would be funded by sale of rock and soil that are mined by CEMEX from the reservoir site.
“The general taxpayers…would not be financially exposed to this project whatsoever,” said TID Manager J. Paul Hendrix.
WATER COMMISSION KRCD Chief Reappointed
David Orth, Kings River Conservation District General Manager, has been reappointed by Governor Brown to the California Water Commission.
Orth has been KRCD’s General Manager since 2002 and is a former Westlands Water District General Manager.
MADERA I.D.
Flume Gates Are Installed
Rubicon flume gates have been installed by Madera Irrigation District on its Main 1 Head and Bishel Weir, downstream of the existing Franchi Dam flume gate.
The gates work together to control about 20% of MID’s downstream water supply through the City of Madera and southern Madera County.
The locations were ideal for automated gates because of the high volume of water that must be regulated, resulting in better operational control, improved flow measurement and cost savings.
KINGS RIVER
Grant Totals $8.7 Million
The California Department of Water Resources is awarding a full funding request of $8,734,000 to the Kings Basin Water Authority for use in helping complete five water conservation projects.
The projects will be in San Joaquin and Kerman as well as in the Bakman Water Company service area in Fresno.
Other projects include a Laguna Irrigation District recharge project and water banking facilities planned by the Fresno and James irrigation districts.
CONGRESS
George Miller Will Retire
Rep. George Miller (D-MARTINEZ), a foe of the valley’s irrigated agriculture and farmers, has announced plans to retire after 40 years in Congress.
Miller was a chief framer of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act, a 1992 environmental law.
