THE WIRE
Spring 2019
Update on Relevant State and Federal Regulatory Processes
www.tid.org
T
he way we manage the Tuolumne River has a direct impact on you. How much water we release from the Don Pedro Hydroelectric Project, and when that water released, plays a major role in the economic value of Don Pedro’s electricity generation. Two regulatory processes, one before the State Water Resources Control Board and the other the federal relicensing of Don Pedro, have the potential to change how we manage water below Don Pedro Dam. State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB): TID continues to undertake a two-pronged approach following the SWRCB’s Dec. 12, 2018 adoption of its Substitute Environmental Document (SED) for Phase 1 of its Bay-Delta Plan. The state’s Plan, known by our region as the ‘state water grab’, prompted TID and Modesto Irrigation District to launch the ‘Worth Your Fight’ awareness Visit tidSED.com campaign in for the complete history of the SED 2016. The Plan process, including would require a comprehensive unreasonable video presentation and unfounded about the SED and Don Pedro measures be Relicensing. taken by TID and MID in the management of the Tuolumne River, with no proof that additional water releases would benefit the River or the people and species that depend on it.
Water is released from the Don Pedro Project to the Tuolumne River.
First, TID (and countless others including the federal government) mounted a legal challenge to the SWRCB’s adoption of the Plan’s environmental document, claiming the SWRCB did not comply with several laws before finalizing the SED.
Don Pedro Relicensing:
Secondly, TID and its partners on the Tuolumne River (MID and the City & County of San Francisco) began the process of negotiating a voluntary agreement with state agencies, in an effort to strike a compromise that would protect stakeholders on the River and be acceptable to the SWRCB. Such negotiations were supported by thenGovernor Brown and remain supported by Governor Newsom.
state’s Bay-Delta Plan Phase 1 SED.
Adoption of an agreement would establish an equitable resolution to the proposed measures of the state’s Plan and pave the way for River management projects to be implemented quickly to benefit our region and the environment alike.
TID’s efforts to relicense the Don Pedro Hydroelectric Project with favorable new operating conditions continue on a parallel path with our efforts on the
On Feb. 11 of this year, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) released its Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). FERC hosted two meetings in Modesto on March 26 to hear comments on its DEIS. The DEIS acknowledges the science TID has used in assembling the Tuolumne River Management Plan that was presented in Don Pedro’s Amended Final License Application filed with FERC by TID and MID in 2018. For more on the relicensing process, including videos, expert science and documents, visit tidDonPedro.com.
The Wire | Spring 2019
PO Box 949 Turlock, CA 95381 209.883.8300
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Paying your Get involved in groundwater bill is easier with E-bills Tired of waiting in line to pay your electric bill? Always running out of stamps when your bill is due? Want to view your electric bill online, make a quick payment free of charge, or change the method in which you are notified of your monthly bill amount? Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to do all this from your home computer any hour of the day, any day of the week? Thanks to improvements to our E-bills online payment portal, you can do all of the above without a convenience fee. There is a short process to register and verify your account, but once you are registered, you’re that much closer to managing your account online. Check it out for yourself today at ebills.tid.org.
As a residential TID electricity customer you might be wondering, “Why should I care about groundwater sustainability!?” The answer lies in the fact that, nearly 100 percent of the water used inside and outside your home comes from groundwater; that is water in a natural underground reservoir that is constantly being pulled out for use by electrical pumps. While you’re a TID electricity customer, we don’t provide the water you use inside and outside your home; that’s typically a service provided by your local city or small water district, unless you live in a rural area and operate your own small groundwater well. Since 2015, public agencies in our groundwater region (an area of the state known as the ‘Turlock Subbasin’) have been working hard to comply with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014 (SGMA). TID is one of 15 public water agencies working in this effort to comply with the new law and reach sustainability by 2042. To comply with the law, and to ensure there are no undesirable results to groundwater quantity and quality, these 15 agencies
To learn more about local groundwater sustainability efforts, visit
TurlockGroundwater.org
Here, you’ll find meeting information, learn about past and pending community workshops, and sign up to receive email notices.
are working together to create a Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP), which is due to the state by Jan. 31, 2022. While the GSP is just starting to be drafted, major conversations about groundwater quantity and quality are taking place at regular, open, public meetings. Visit TurlockGroundwater.org to learn more.