Message from General Manager, Kristin Sicke
It is wonderful to be in the full swing of another unallocated irrigation season.
Thank you for signing up your fields for irrigation service. The top 20 crops of the 85,000 acres signed up are shown below.
The largest acreage changes from 2023 to 2024 are seen in the increase in corn (+3,600 acres), safflower (+2,200 acres), olive trees (+1,500 acres), and wine grapes (+1,400 acres), and the decrease in hay/oats/wheat/barley/triticale (-4,600 acres), sunflower seeds (-1,200 acres), pasture (-1,100 acres), and walnuts (-1,000 acres).
District staff are busy making water deliveries and confirming the accuracy of water measurements. May and June water sales were approximately 21,000 and 26,000 acre-feet, respectively. The District is currently releasing water from Clear Lake via Cache Creek Dam (ensuring releases are within the monthly Solano Decree allocations) and supplementing releases from Indian Valley Reservoir while also generating maximum hydropower at the facility (3 MW). Storage hydrographs for Indian Valley Reservoir and Clear Lake are shown below.
The warmer temperatures and low humidity have increased demand for water deliveries but have also contributed to an increase in aquatic weed growth. District staff are battling the aquatic weeds with three lines of attack: applying aquatic herbicides, excavating the weeds, and “chaining” the canals. Thankfully, the weeds have not caused any issues at the diversion headgates at the Capay Dam.
In coordination with interested customers, District staff have installed two automated trash screens at individual turnouts and are planning to install more by the end of the year. Additionally, staff are continuing to investigate the installation of a larger automated trash screen cleaning system at the Winters Canal headgate and hope to have additional details on the expected cost and required engineering by the end of 2024.
Upcoming Capital Jobs and Other Initiatives
Capay Diversion Dam Bladder Replacement Project
Construction Estimated: October 1-19, 2024
After many months of planning and working with engineers and vendors, the District will be replacing the Capay Diversion Dam bladder (475’ W x 5’ H) in the first week of October. Through careful maintenance and repairs, the District has extended the current bladder’s designed service life by ten years, but the time has come to replace it. To accommodate the project, the irrigation season will end a few weeks early; we will update customers once the project schedule has been finalized. We apologize in advance for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding as we work to replace this piece of critical infrastructure.
As we look toward the rainy season, the District is planning for diversion of excess winter flows in Cache Creek starting January 1, 2025 to recharge the aquifer via the canal system. We would greatly appreciate landowners reaching out to us with details on any ponds that may be available for filling.
Regulatory Compliance at Indian Valley Reservoir
The District was selected for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) Comprehensive Assessment at Indian Valley Reservoir. FERC describes the comprehensive assessment as a deep dive into every aspect of a project, including a detailed review of the design, engineering analysis and construction history, evaluation of spillway adequacy, and a risk analysis. This assessment entails more than two weeks of intense investigation into the integrity of Indian Valley Dam and the appurtenant infrastructure and demands significant District resources. The District is also coordinating with FERC to repair the Indian Valley Reservoir spillway to ensure compliance with additional regulations.
Water UI
Have you created your Water UI account yet? The District has rolled out a new web-based software platform, Water UI, which allows water customers to login and complete water orders online. In addition, Water UI lets customers to see their turnout location and names, water account balances, parcel information, and so much more! Please contact the office if you’d like to learn more about how to sign up for Water UI.
Staffing Changes
The District recently hired a new Assistant General Manager, Erik Cadaret, who is also working on groundwater issues for the Yolo Subbasin Groundwater Agency (YSGA). In June, the District celebrated Barbara McGriff’s 47 years of service to the District and appreciated her passing the baton to Kim Villa, our new Finance Director. Please stop by the office and meet Erik and Kim!
Ways to Get Involved
The District hosted two Farmers’ Council meetings this year to provide timely updates to customers and enhance feedback from customers to management and the Board of Directors. We anticipate hosting the third Farmers’ Council meeting at the end of August – please join us!
The Board of Directors have initiated a strategic planning process and would love to hear from all customers and landowners on how the District can improve service in the future. Regular District Board of Directors meetings are scheduled for the first Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. and are held at the District offices: 34274 State Highway 16 in Woodland. You can review previous agendas and presentations on our website.
We really appreciate the opportunity to serve you and maintain Yolo County agriculture.
Please reach out to me with any questions, suggestions, or concerns: 530.723.3467.
Thank you,
