California irrigation-drainage disputes targeted in new bill

California’s tireless water warriors have something fresh to fight over, with the introduction of a bill to resolve an irrigation drainage dispute that affects three modest-sized San Joaquin Valley water districts, as well as the much bigger Westlands Water District.

The bill by Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, would relieve the federal government of its duty to provide irrigation drainage, and relieve the water districts of their debt.

“We’re trying to solve some water problems here,” Costa said Thursday.

His bill covers the San Luis, Panoche and Pacheco water districts, which are north of Westlands. Together, the three districts serve about 102,000 acres in western Merced and Fresno counties.

The measure also incorporates a separate bill that would settle the federal government’s similar dispute with Westlands.

The districts have struggled with problems due to the lack of a drain to carry away spent, salty water. The federal government had committed to building the drain but never completed the job, for a host of political and environmental reasons.

Litigation ensued; lots of it. The irrigation drainage legislation is needed to implement the legal settlement.

The new legislation introduced Thursday includes $70 million for anti-salinity efforts undertaken by the San Luis, Panoche and Pacheco districts. It also relieves them of their $52.7 million debt owed for the construction of irrigation facilities and hands over title to the facilities to the districts.

The federal Bureau of Reclamation, in turn, is let off the hook from its expensive obligation to build a drainage system.

The bill incorporates an earlier legislative proposal by Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, under which the 600,000-acre Westlands district would assume responsibility for providing drainage. In turn, Westlands would be forgiven the rest of its capital cost debt owed for the construction of Central Valley Project irrigation facilities, estimated at upward of $375 million.

Westlands also agreed to retire at least 100,000 acres of farmland. Westlands would gain ownership of the federal pipes, canals and pumping plants serving the district.

Congress must pass the necessary legislation by January, according to the settlement. If it doesn’t, the government or Westlands can nullify the deal unless they agree to an extension.

Political conflict has accompanied the drainage issue every step of the way, and the new bill is likely to trigger fresh tensions between Valley legislators and those from other parts of California.

“There are going to be a lot of people with serious, substantive problems with this, I will predict,” said Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael.

Bureau of Reclamation spokesman Dan DuBray said Thursday that “we look forward to reviewing” the new legislation. The terms are being scrutinized by the Obama administration’s Office of Management and Budget, though Costa said “we believe” the administration will ultimately support the bill.

Lon M. Martin, general manager of the San Luis Water District, praised the bill as providing “a comprehensive drainage solution at the local level for the entire San Luis Unit of the Central Valley Project.”

Companion legislation has not yet been introduced in the Senate, where Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein has said her first priority is passing a broader California water bill that will be the subject of a Senate hearing next week.

This story was originally published May 12, 2016 at 6:07 PM with the headline "California irrigation-drainage disputes targeted in new bill."