Irrigation Leader April 2017

Volume 8 Issue 4

April 2017

The New Zealand Issue

Our New Zealand Irrigation Tour

By Kris Polly

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ew Zealand is a beautiful country with exceptionally friendly, pragmatic, and resourceful people. This issue of Irrigation Leader is all about our February 18–25, 2017, irrigation tour in New Zealand and what we learned there. Before we begin, I want to say thank you to Alligare and Rubicon Water who, with our magazine, helped sponsor the tour. A very special thank you goes to Andrew Curtis, executive director of New Zealand Water, and his wonderful wife, Josie, who planned our itinerary and secured our accommodations. Additionally, Andrew drove our bus, directed the tour, and taught us all a great deal. Thank you to all our tour participants as well for making time in your personal and professional lives to travel around the globe. Each of you asked insightful questions and had observations that added to the educational value of the tour. It was an exceptional experience.

Though an island nation, everything about New Zealand is vast, open, and huge. The scenery is beautiful and diverse.

Plains stop and mountains begin abruptly. It is like many places you may have seen in the United States, like Montana or Colorado, but it is noticeably undeveloped and unpopulated.

The most striking feature for us was the color of the water.

The cover photo of the Rangitata River is not a trick of the camera or the printer. The water is a luminous, turquoise-blue color that draws your eye like watching a camp fire or a sunset.

It was explained to us that the water is glacial in origin and contains rock flour, or silica, that reflects the bluish color. We found that beautiful color in all the canals (locally known as raceways), rivers, and lakes.

Another striking feature was the way the New Zealanders manage their wind breaks. As a native of Nebraska, I am well acquainted with wind breaks and the variety of tree species we use to maximize effectiveness. In New Zealand, they use similar pine or evergreen species, but they plant them closer together and prune them like giant hedgerows. We learned that trimming the windbreaks each year made them much stronger and also contains them to a smaller space than needed for a windbreak that is allowed to grow wild. Much to the eventual annoyance of our tour guide, we Americans were fascinated by the huge, manicured, green blocks along the fields and took lots photos. “I thought you came here to see irrigation instead of a bunch of bloody trees!”

New Zealanders take great pride in their homes and businesses. Hospital clean or spotless is how I would describe the average convenience store or coffee shop. The same is true for any other business that services the public; every place

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was exceptionally clean and well organized. The farms and irrigation facilities we visited were well maintained and cared for. There is a bedrock of resourcefulness and practicality in New Zealand thinking that can be seen in nearly everything New Zealanders build or do. It is the cow’s job to walk to the pasture and back to the milking parlor. Feed crops are pastured in place to eliminate harvest and trucking costs. Work is done with only the number of people that is absolutely necessary.

The dairies we visited required two people to operate.

Whereas an irrigation district in the United States may have 75–100 employees, New Zealand districts (locally known as schemes) of similar service acreage would have 3–5 employees, with the vast amount of work done by outside contractors to save money.

Pivots are the primary form of irrigation, with the technology taken to its limits. I counted 29 pivot towers on one roadside windshield wiper and saw mounds created near buildings to allow the pivots to climb over. Nearly every pivot tower we saw was outfitted with special bars to allow them to climb over the countless electric pasture fences. The fence wires were spring loaded to allow such crossings. We learned that many innovations in pivot technology were developed or tested in New Zealand before going to the United States and other markets.

Thanks again to our sponsors, planners, and participants.

We hope our readers enjoy leaning about our tour participants’ observations and experiences in New Zealand. Above all, this second international irrigation tour (our first tour was to Australia in 2016) has further demonstrated the great value of first-hand observation of irrigation techniques and perspectives. With two tours now complete, we have learned a great deal and will continue to make planning improvements so that more of our irrigation district managers, board members, and farmers can participate in future trips. We are going back to Australia in 2018—February 17–24—so mark your calendars. For more information on our next irrigation tour, please see our website at www.waterstrategies.com. Thank you for your continued support.

Kris Polly is editor-in-chief of Irrigation Leader magazine and president of Water Strategies LLC, a government relations firm he began in February 2009 for the purpose of representing and guiding water, power, and agricultural entities in their dealings with Congress, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and other federal government agencies. He may be contacted at Kris.Polly@waterstrategies.com.

Irrigation Leader

C O N T E N T S

APRIL 2017

2 Our New Zealand Irrigation Tour

By Kris Polly VOLUME 8

ISSUE 4

4 Irrigation Leader New Zealand Tour

Observations by: Dave Blodget, Aquatics Market Manager, Alligare Gary Esslinger, Manager–Treasurer, Elephant Butte Irrigation District Darvin and Kathy Fales, Quincy–Columbia Irrigation District Joel Irving, International Water Screens Jason and Sharae McShane, Kennewick Irrigation District Vic Swann, Director of Sales, Alligare John Crotty, Senior Writer, Irrigation Leader magazine

Irrigation Leader is published 10 times a year with combined issues for July/August and November/December by Water Strategies LLC 4 E Street SE Washington, DC 20003 STAFF: Kris Polly, Editor-in-Chief John Crotty, Senior Writer Matthew Dermody, Writer Robin Pursley, Graphic Designer Capital Copyediting LLC, Copyeditor SUBMISSIONS: Irrigation Leader welcomes manuscript, photography, and art submissions. However, the right to edit or deny publishing submissions is reserved. Submissions are returned only upon request. For more information, please contact John Crotty at (202) 698-0690 or John.Crotty@waterstrategies.com.

ADVERTISING: Irrigation Leader accepts one-quarter, half-page, and full-page ads. For more information on rates and placement, please contact Kris Polly at (703) 517-3962 or Irrigation.Leader@waterstrategies.com.

CIRCULATION: Irrigation Leader is distributed to irrigation district managers and boards of directors in the 17 western states, Bureau of Reclamation officials, members of Congress and committee staff, and advertising sponsors.

For address corrections or additions, please contact our office at Irrigation.Leader@waterstrategies.com.

Copyright © 2017 Water Strategies LLC. Irrigation Leader relies on the excellent contributions of a variety of natural resources professionals who provide content for the magazine. However, the views and opinions expressed by these contributors are solely those of the original contributor and do not necessarily represent or reflect the policies or positions of Irrigation Leader magazine, its editors, or Water Strategies LLC. The acceptance and use of advertisements in Irrigation Leader do not constitute a representation or warranty by Water Strategies LLC or Irrigation Leader magazine regarding the products, services, claims, or companies advertised.

COVER PHOTO: The tour group at the Rangitata Diversion Dam. Irrigation Leader

12 Ngai Tahu Farming: From Forest to Farm

By Shane Kelly

14 Opuha Water Limited—Bringing Vital Water, Power, and Conservation to Mid Canterbury

By Tony McCormick

18 Irrigation as Investment: A Conversation With Andrew Curtis of IrrigationNZ

DISTRICT FOCUS

22 The Central Plains Water Enhancement Scheme

By Mark McKenzie

MANAGER PROFILE

26 Ben Curry of Rangitata Diversion Race Management Limited

IRRIGATED CROPS

28 Growing on New Zealand’s South Island INNOVATORS

34 New Zealand Windbreaks 35 Pivoting Lateral and Crossing Fences 38 Classifieds 3

The tour group at a drop along the main race of the Ashburton–Lyndhurst Irrigation Scheme. Left to right: Dave Blodgett, John Crotty, Kris Polly, Joel Irving, Gary Esslinger, Vic Swann, Titus Takes Gun, Jason McShane, Sharae McShane, Tony Oakes, Darvin Fales, Kathy Fales.

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t the end of this past February, Irrigation Leader magazine, Rubicon Water, and Alligare cosponsored a tour of irrigation projects, known as schemes, in New Zealand. Over 7 days, our group of 12 traversed hundreds of kilometers on the South Island, from Christchurch, which is still a shell of itself and recovering from the devastating earthquakes of several years ago, to the picturesque and adventure-sports destination of Queenstown. New Zealand’s Southern Alps were ever present in the background as we toured the fertile Canterbury Plains, where the sheep farms of old have given way to the green irrigated pastures of dairy farms.

Our guide on the trip was Andrew Curtis, executive director of IrrigationNZ. Mr. Curtis has graced these pages before and does so again in this issue. He is a wealth of knowledge about irrigation—from on-farm management, in which IrrigationNZ preaches the “right amount at the right time,” to the policies and laws that have shaped scheme management over the years.

One of our first excursions introduced us to Waimakariri Irrigation’s Brent Walton, who discussed his run-of-the-river scheme’s need for storage. It was along the Waimakariri River that the group first saw the powdery blue waters of New Zealand’s glacial waterways.

Titus Takes Gun—Crow Tribe member, water resources engineer, and skilled pool shark—notably described the waters as the color of Cool Blue Gatorade.

A common theme throughout the tour was active nutrient management, which is critical to the country’s 4

economy because of the pervasiveness of its dairy industry.

Amazingly, New Zealand exports 95 percent of the milk it produces. On our second day, we visited a dairy at Lincoln University, where the South Island Dairying Development Centre investigates the latest in farm productivity and nutrient management. Executive Director Ron Pellow talked about “growing as much grass as we can to produce as much milk as we can” to maximize sustainable profits and minimize the farm’s environmental footprint.

Jess Dargue of the Ashburton–Lyndhurst Irrigation Scheme is working on a long-term project familiar to most American irrigation managers: putting open canal into pipe as his farmers move from flood to pivot. The Ashburton–Lyndhurst scheme, like all irrigation schemes in New Zealand, is a nonprofit cooperative owned by its farmers. As such, one of Mr. Dargue’s biggest challenges was addressing the difference in farmer debt loads relative to farm production levels when undertaking large capital investment programs.

On the chilly and windy fourth day of the tour, the group was quite surprised not only because we experienced all four seasons in the span of few hours, but because we met an American from Walla Walla, Washington, Mr. Bob Watson, who was overseeing a managed aquifer recharge project in conjunction with the Mayfield–Hinds Irrigation Scheme. Running on the shoulders of the season, the gravity-fed settling basins dilute nutrient-rich runoff and recharge the region’s depleted aquifer. So far it has been working—nitrate levels have gone down and stayed down.

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As we moved up and out of the Canterbury Plains into the Mackenzie basin, we witnessed irrigation in the high country. While the growing season is short in the Benmore Irrigation Scheme, the lateral lines run long— some several continuous kilometers up and down the brown and barren (except for irrigation) hills. Benmore has been front and center for some of the challenges that irrigators face with environmental interests. Outdoor enthusiasts and environmentalists say that the lush green of irrigated land mars the brown viewshed of the highlands. Irrigator, sheep rancher, pilot, and entrepreneur, Simon Williamson noted that irrigators “were caught with their pants down” on the education of urban visitors and residents. “Farming and tourism need each other, but to say that irrigation is ruining the land is rubbish. We live here because we love it.”

As the tour wound down, we moved on to warmer climes, cherry orchards that produced some of the “best cherries in the world” according to Ripponvale Irrigation Scheme Manager Barry Shepherd [imagine the rolling eyes of our Washington State participants], and vineyards that produced smooth and subtle pinot noir. Central Otago is characterized by on-stream surface water projects unseen in the rest of the country. As we ate our final dinner together as a group, we were grateful for the bounties those projects brought us: fresh fruits, good wine, and a strong connection to the land and the people of New Zealand.

Dave Blodget, Aquatics Market Manager, Alligare First, I would like to thank Kris and John for setting up a wonderful trip.

For anyone who has not had the opportunity to tour around New Zealand, it should be on your bucket list.

From the beginning, you could tell that Andrew Curtis, chief executive for IrrigationNZ, was in touch with water and the politics going on there. He introduced us to key people who were addressing the concerns of the environmentalists in a proactive way. I was impressed that it appeared the water users worked in conjunction with their neighbors to solve and collect the data to demonstrate that they were on top of the perceived water quality issues.

The irrigation systems in most cases were more advanced than what we see in the United States. Most were using Rubicon systems for delivering water to the end user. I was surprised at the number of new water Irrigation Leader

storage reservoirs that were planned or under construction.

Along with work, we had a very balanced trip in terms of time to just enjoy the countryside. I enjoyed getting to know all in our group, and beers at the end of the day were appreciated by all.

Having spent a lot of my career working in other countries, I can say that you have to get out of the big cities and work in the country to really get the feel for the people.

New Zealanders are gracious people and appreciate your visiting their country.

It was a great trip, and I am looking forward to the next one.

Gary Esslinger, Manager–Treasurer, Elephant Butte Irrigation District Before visiting New Zealand, I had a whole different idea in my mind—I imagined an infinite water supply always existing for everyone’s benefit. I was certainly unaware of the demand constraints and pressures that exist on the island.

After observing and witnessing the numerous rivers on the South Island, I was amazed at the lack of large storage facilities on their main rivers as compared with our western states. Obviously, the history of the country’s water storage development, run-of-the-river water rights, and early dam construction in the 1930s has given way to the current environmental pressure of the New Zealand government to make all New Zealand waters swimmable, drinkable, and fishable. This has not made it easy to develop new construction of storage reservoirs on their rivers.

I was fascinated and impressed by the different irrigation schemes that we visited and the significant technological advancement they had developed to provide a better supply of off-river storage for center-pivot irrigation efficiency and the minimization of border dyke (flood) irrigation as a means of conservation. I felt like the farmers in New Zealand were faced with similar environmental, water quality, and conservation pressures as the farmers in the western United States, considering both surface and groundwater management practices. I think a continued irrigation district management exchange would be beneficial.

From personal accounts, presentations by our irrigation guides, scheme managers, and the current newspaper articles, it was obvious to me that there is an attack on New Zealand farmers’ livelihood, their native culture, and their 5

farming practices. Every irrigation scheme we visited, along with their on-farm practices, showed us that only through continued innovation, real-time metering and monitoring of water quality and quantity, food safety promotion, irrigation efficiency improvements, and continued on-farm conservation practices are they going to be able to defend their viability and existence against those who would rather promote healthy rivers to ensure that the fishery, tourism, and recreational industries prosper.

As a personal observation, I was surprised that lowhead hydro development, which exists, is not considered a high priority for electrical generation, but it is used to power up pressurized scheme irrigation systems instead.

I thoroughly enjoyed this trip for the educational value I gained, the magnificent scenery, the good company, and the new friends I met along the way. New Zealand is truly its own wonder of the world.

Darvin and Kathy Fales, Quincy–Columbia Basin Irrigation District The challenges farmers face in New Zealand are similar to the challenges we experience in the United States: the uncertainty of water supply, water quality and declining groundwater aquifer, the groundwater recharge, and water storage. The delivery systems themselves are also very much like we have in the States: The canal structures, the pumps, and the weirs have the same organizational characteristics and challenges.

When [ Jess Dargue, manager at the Ashburton– Lyndhurst scheme] got up in front of our group and used a map to describe his district, it reminded me of myself. That is what most of us irrigation district managers love to do. We get in front of a group of people and explain our work and what we are passionate

about: “Here’s where the district is. Here’s how it works.”

However, there are some interesting differences. Their storage is impressive. I can only wish that we [in the Quincy– Columbia Basin Irrigation District] had the reregulation reservoirs that they have built and use. Scheme operations were very skinny—they only have a few employees in each scheme because the schemes are run with cutting-edge technology. We saw some relatively new systems.

Also, the way managers go about solving problems similar to those that American managers face was interesting. As an example from the regulatory perspective, although the scheme managers we met were not able to add a diversion dam in the river for their headworks, they could drive a backhoe or an excavator out there to move rocks and gravel to bring the river to their headworks. You would not get away with that here in the United States.

Water quality issues are a big topic in New Zealand. My wife, Kathy, was especially interested in the effect that cattle have on the groundwater. We were amazed that it seemed like the whole country—not just the agriculture community—is interested and involved in the groundwater quality issue.

Finally, the people we met on the trip were so nice and friendly. They were always willing to help.

Joel Irving, International Water Screens Looking out the window of a tour van as we travel through the agriculture hub of New Zealand’s South Island, one can only notice the need for efficient water use. With an impressive dairy operation hidden within the windbreaks on every corner, there is an obvious need to access enough water, make it go further, and have one manage it accordingly. New Zealand is similar to North America in that it is working to improve water storage and distribution and to extend coverage to more irrigated acres. These efforts exceeded my expectations— the schemes were more advanced than I expected. With surprisingly large projects, such as the Central Plains Project

The glacial blue waters of Lake Pukaki in the foreground with New Zealand’s tallest mountain, Mount Cook, towering in the background.

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Irrigation Leader

and the proposed storage ponds of Rangitata Diversion Race Management, New Zealand shows an impressive future of water projects that will support its water needs.

As a relatively new figure in the water business (6 years), this trip was informative and filled with opportunity for my company, International Water Screens. Hearing about the increasing interest in and need for fish and debris screens to make scheme operations run more efficiently was also a fun point for me, as well as introducing a great product to key players.

The great news is we hosted New Zealand delegates at our shop in California on April 10, with a focused interest on traveling screens, fish screens, and California fish regulations.

Thank you for including me on this trip; I look forward to future excursions with great people!

Jason and Sharae McShane, Kennewick Irrigation District I was most impressed

by New Zealand irrigation managers’ practical approach to solutions.

The mentality is, “If we have a problem, we have to solve it. Let’s get together and do it.”

I was also impressed by the sense of community. I enjoyed meeting farmers, who, according to all the environmental groups, are pillaging the land, but in fact were excellent stewards of the land. They are concerned about things that are beyond the bottom line and beyond property boundaries.

I really enjoyed going up into the Mackenzie basin and visiting Simon Williamson (who irrigates in the Benmore Irrigation Scheme). That stands out as my favorite place to talk with farmers. As an engineer, I also enjoyed the brand new diversion at Central Plains Water.

It was a very well-rounded trip. I enjoyed seeing Simon Williamson's merino wool operation. We were able to meet his wife and see his home and his livelihood.

In addition, our visit to Greenvale Pastures, where [Craige MacKenzie] grew carrot and radish seed, reminded me of how similar farming is no matter where you are. He put his heart into the farm, back into the land. Visiting there was like going home, which for me is north of the Tri-Cities in Washington State. I grew up on a farm, and it reminded me of going home.

Irrigation Leader

Vic Swann, Director of Sales, Alligare It was a beautiful country with a great, pure water system, but I was most impressed by how our group came together.

You could really see the U.S. irrigation managers’ interest in how managers in New Zealand were going about their business and moving water.

There was a real collaboration between the representatives of the two countries about what is working in irrigation management.

I really enjoyed visiting Falls Dam [and the Manuherikia water project], where we had the opportunity to go down into the dam itself. I enjoyed hearing the history of the project from [project manager] Roger Williams. He talked about where the engineers and workers lived and camped. It was interested to hear how they built that dam by hand during the years of the Great Depression. It was a beautiful spot.

John Crotty, Senior Writer, Irrigation Leader Magazine We met a lot of good, thoughtful people—true stewards of the land and water. The water managers we spoke with share a cando attitude with respect to system upgrades and thinking big about their projects. Everyone we talked to—Mark McKenzie, Ben Curry, Roger Williams— shared a vision for longterm, sustainable water supplies that would serve agricultural, municipal, and environmental needs.

We also traveled with good people. I enjoyed talking with and learning about my fellow tour participants. I was impressed, but not surprised, that Gary Esslinger was taking more notes than I was. Joel Irving and Titus Takes Gun together were a source of insight into the projects we visited and an unlikely comedy duo. Andrew Curtis shared an encyclopedic knowledge of irrigation from the ground up, which allowed me to begrudgingly tolerate his Irish jokes.

The tour was a great learning experience and a testament to Kris Polly’s vision of taking water managers from across the West to see and meet people who are not so different from them, but who live at the other end of the world.

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Supplemental feed for dairy cows on one of the Ngai Tahu paddocks.

Ngai Tahu Farming: From Forest to Farm

By Shane Kelly

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gāi Tahu is the largest Māori iwi, or tribe, on New Zealand’s South Island. Following the Ngāi Tahu Settlement with the New Zealand government in 1998, Ngāi Tahu purchased Crown forestry License land throughout the South Island, including the 6,700-hectare Te Whenua Hou development 25 miles northwest of Christchurch.

The Te Whenua Hou development was initially used for forestry. Further down the track, we were able to secure water rights from the Waimakariri Irrigation Scheme. We then evaluated that resource, in addition to the resources we had, and tied the water rights into the iwi mission of developing both agriculture and Māori leadership within agriculture. It was a good fit from that point of view, so Ngāi Tahu Farming began converting the land to pasture.

A strategy incorporating the natural cycle of harvesting forest blocks and progressing the land was put together.

From that point, we signaled to forestry leaseholders that we would not allow a renewal, and that as trees were harvested, they would not be replanted. The Ngāi Tahu tribal council also approved an initial investment in three trial dairy farms, which became operational in 2013.

The Plan

A master plan covers the whole forest and the layout of existing and future farms. Initially, in the first stages of the conversion of a forest block, there is not sufficient land to support a farm. So, until enough pasture is reclaimed from forest, we farm the smaller blocks as support for young stock and winter months. As we build more blocks out, we

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develop the water infrastructure for an entire farm.

The master plan sets the goal of operating 20 farms under gravity-flow pivot irrigation, growing grass and feed for dairy cows. The long-term vision is that 13 of those will be dairy farms; the other 7 will be dairy support blocks. Those 7 dairy support blocks will sustain 7,200 cows and 3,500 calves a year. At this stage, we have completed 17 of those farms—7 dairies and 10 for wintering and dairy support. We also have a couple farms running beef under pivot. The beef program will be transitioned over stages, given time to develop and get pivots on and the infrastructure in place.

In the coming season, we will start to develop two more cowsheds, which will get us to nine dairy farms. At the same time, we still have three more farms to develop under pivot irrigation. It will probably be 4–5 years before the development reaches its full dairy numbers.

We have set up our system around two parameters: (1) adjustments to our system—if the payout crashed, we can tighten up a little bit, but if the payout goes up, we can take up our numbers slowly and (2) nitrate leaching— stewardship of the land is a core value to our 56,000 shareholders.

Dairying System

Our dairy system is based around a stocking rate of 3.2 cows to the hectare, with brought-in feed of 700 kilograms per cow fed during the shoulders of the milking season. This is a change from of 3.6 cows per hectare and 1,500 kilograms of feed. The drivers for this change have been (1) improving our environmental impact and (2) economics. This has resulted in a 30 percent Irrigation Leader

reduction in our nitrate number and a drop in cost of production from NZ$5.20 to NZ$3.80.

Our system is designed to maximize the use of grass grown and only fill short-term feed deficits, while allowing some flexibility to respond to changing international milk prices. Cows are wintered off the dairy platform for 65 days prior to calving, using fodder beet.

Stewardship

Through the employment of weather stations, soil moisture strips, variable rate pivots, and fertilizer disbursement tracked by GPS, Ngāi Tahu Farming has limited water and nutrient applications and mitigated leaching impacts. With regard to nitrate leaching, we are right where we need to be for the long term. Over the last few years, we have done a really good job of looking at effluent and have decreased usage by 30 percent.

The dairy farms directly measure nitrate leaching losses with 40 lysimeters, which are large tubes of undisturbed columns of soil used to measure the nitrate leaching loss in drainage water. In addition, we have also made it a policy that we will not spread nitrogen in June, July, and August.

Ngāi Tahu Farming is also investing in technology,

Irrigation Leader

especially variable rate irrigation. We have soil moisture monitoring, and we tie it back to our main weather station, which predicts 5 days out and helps us determine where moisture levels should be and how much to apply and when. It allows us to make good choices in how we are watering.

Weaving Iwi Values Into Agriculture

Finally, we are building a community here through agriculture. We hire employees with a knowledge and respect for Māori cultural values and customs, and we train young Māori in agricultural and dairying practices. Ngāi Tahu believe that “when land and water are sustained, the people will prosper.” As we develop each forest block and take new land under pivot, we are bringing that belief into action.

Shane Kelly joined Ngāi Tahu Farming in 2013 as the rural project manager. In that role, he was responsible for overseeing the conversion of forestry to irrigated pasture. In 2015, he was appointed to his current role as general manager—dairy.

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Opuha Water Limited—Bringing Vital Water, Power, and Conservation to Mid Canterbury

By Tony McCormick

C

ompleted in 1998, the Opuha Dam is a recent large water storage project undertaken by the community of South Canterbury on the South Island of New Zealand. The 50-meter-high earthen dam impounds a 710hectare reservoir, providing water to 16,300 irrigated agricultural hectares, more than half of which is dedicated to dairy farming, in addition to commercial and residential water. The project has brought significant economic gains to the region and supports local agricultural and urban communities.

Beginnings

The story of the Opuha Water project began at a community meeting in 1982, to discuss the state of the Opihi River, which was described as “dying.” Like much of Canterbury, the river is prone to drought and had often run dry in summer. This had serious consequences for recreational fishing and other river users, as well as small irrigation schemes that relied on the Opihi. The 1982 meeting was prompted by a particularly severe drought that had had a devastating effect on the river. The meeting was attended by representatives with a wide range of interests in the river, including local government, farmers, fishing groups, and the community at large. As an outcome of that meeting, a group called the Opihi River Augmentation Society was established to find a solution to dwindling river flows.

The initial focus was to bring more water into the province from alpine-fed lakes about 100 kilometers away.

After several years of lobbying, a water permit was granted, providing for 6 cubic meters per second to brought in from Lake Tekapo via a gravity system. The proposed system

would have diverted water from a large governmentowned hydroelectric scheme. The government electricity entity objected to the project and sponsored efforts to find alternative solutions to the water shortage problem. These investigations focused on in-region water storage options, and the Opuha dam and reservoir site was the one that was ultimately chosen for development.

Permitting and Funding

The dam project was approved under the then-new Resources Management Act (RMA), one of the most significant pieces of legislation in New Zealand’s history.

The RMA guides the use of natural resources and establishes planning and permitting frameworks. Our project was one of the first major projects to be permitted under the new law.

Farmers initially provided only 15 percent of the financial backing for the scheme. Getting the upfront financial commitment from farmers was one of the most difficult aspects of funding the dam project. The Opuha project was the first water storage scheme of its kind in New Zealand, so there was some uncertainty about what benefits it would provide. Many farmers were skeptical of upfront costs but became more supportive once water began flowing past their gates.

Alpine Energy, the local council–owned electricity network company, was originally a 50 percent owner of the scheme but, by 2006, sought to divest itself due to regulatory changes. The farmers stepped in and bought the entire scheme after obtaining bank funding for the acquisition.

We have issued 16,000 shares, each representing a water entitlement that is enough to irrigate one hectare.

Shareholders have to hold shares commensurate with the

Opuha Dam and Lake. The 50-meter-high dam impounds 72 million cubic meters of water.

A 7-megawatt power station sits at the bottom of the dam.

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amount of water they need or take, which limits the water they can obtain. The shareholders pay the cost of all their shares, regardless of whether they use the full amount of water.

We are a cooperative company owned by its farmer shareholders, so water charges only reflect our costs, which are mostly fixed. The electricity generated at the dam provides us with additional revenue, but that revenue varies based on seasonal and hydrological conditions. The revenue from electricity allows us to pay off debt in good years; this has kept our water charges steady for over 5 years.

Sometimes we receive more water than we can store and have to release water from the dam, which we are doing right now. We also provide residential and industrial water supplies to downstream communities.

Being a Good Neighbor

The relationship between the farmers and other water users is generally very constructive. The farmers understand that there is an obligation to maintain the health of the river and its flows, and in 2015, when the dam went critically low for the first time in its history, they agreed to shut off irrigation early to keep enough water for the river to keep flowing.

The commitment to care for the well being of the river was present from the beginning when the project was permitted in the 1990s. There was a consensus to build the scheme with that commitment in mind. We impound over 70 million cubic meters of water, but most of that is required to maintain the river. We have dammed the mainstream of a river, and we store early spring inflows to provide for summer irrigation demand and to augment the river flows.

The summer of 2014–2015 [summer in New Zealand begins in November] was the first time in the project’s history that the river ran critically close to being dry, but we have learned from the experience and have better contingency plans and processes to mitigate a repeat of that negative experience.

Lake Opuha during the 2014–2015 drought.

New Challenges

Changes in the regulatory regime are one of the potential challenges we face going forward. It would be much more difficult to get a project like Opuha approved if the process began today. Our project is often cited by both sides of the debate as evidence for their arguments. Some point out the benefits to both the river and the economy, while others argue there have been water quality issues as a result. The disruption of sediment transport in the river and the alternation of natural flow patterns are also important effects to consider.

There is currently a regionwide review of land and water planning frameworks across Canterbury. We are actively participating in that review process in order to ensure that any new rules will provide us with an adaptive management regime that can build on what we have learned over the past 17 years and the very dry period of 2014–2015 in particular.

Prescriptive rules provide certainty for external stakeholders but make it difficult to operate the scheme to account for varied or unique conditions and still obtain the best environmental outcomes. Our management during the 2014–2015 droughts exceeded the regulations that were in place but was hailed at public meetings as being highly effective given the dire circumstances. Our hope is to bring some of those practices into the new regulatory processes to increase flexibility and suitability of management for extreme conditions.

We are part of a working group that includes many river stakeholders whose goal is to develop an adaptive management regime based on our experiences of the past several seasons. It can be a challenge because everyone wants certainty and predictable numbers, but the reality is that it can all depend on conditions at the time, so we have to adapt to those circumstances as they present themselves.

We all understand that getting an adaptive regime embedded in a regional planning framework may not be easy, but it will provide better outcomes.

Supporting Our Communities

Overall, our scheme has provided demonstrative economic benefits for the entire region. Without the dam, we would not have the level of agricultural activity that we do, and we are very proud of that fact. We are also proud of how we have managed our resources in a way that is responsible across our communities and region. Our methods are not perfect, but we are genuinely committed to doing our best to provide for the river, our local communities, and our farmers.

Tony McCormick is the chief executive officer of Opuha Water Limited.

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Irrigation as Investment: A Conversation With Andrew Curtis of IrrigationNZ

I

rrigation is a foundation of the New Zealand economy. According to IrrigationNZ, an industry body that represents the interests of New Zealand irrigators, the country’s 800,000 irrigated hectares (nearly 2 million acres) contributes an estimated NZ$2.4 billion a year in increased value at the farm gate over and above dryland farming. Those revenues, coupled with operational efficiencies and improved on-farm and system management practices, have led to an increase in irrigated acreage of 80,000 hectares since 2011.

Andrew Curtis is the executive director of IrrigationNZ. Mr. Curtis led the Irrigation Leader tour of New Zealand in February and proved to be a wealth of knowledge about all things irrigation; wine; and surprisingly, for a native of England, potatoes. Irrigation Leader’s editor-in-chief, Kris Polly, recently spoke with Mr. Curtis about the elements of New Zealand irrigation that impressed him the most: the efficiencies, the automation, and the expansion of irrigated acres.

Kris Polly: Can you please tell our readers about irrigation schemes in New Zealand and their basic philosophy?

Andrew Curtis: All the schemes are cooperatives or limited liability companies based on cooperative principles. Their purpose is to deliver water to the farm gate at the lowest possible cost. That concept has led to a lot of streamlining to minimize any operational obstacles to delivery. The operational structures are minimalist, and the schemes rely on relationships they have with various contractors—construction, legal, accounting, and otherwise—to find the most efficient model to supply water.

Traditionally, costs were evenly distributed among all scheme shareholders. However, in more recent times, expansion and modernization of the schemes has caused tension. As a result, there are frequently differential water supply and water supply pricing when new shareholders come on board.

In a more recent development, several Mid Canterbury schemes have come together to supply environmental and administration services through [an entity called] the IRRIGO Centre. This is providing economies of scale for the everincreasing regulatory responsibilities being place on individual schemes, and for core services, it is more cost efficient than the contracting model.

Kris Polly: Can you compare and contrast irrigation operations in New Zealand and United States?

Andrew Curtis: The biggest difference is how streamlined schemes are in New Zealand. The schemes are run with fewer staff than those in Australia or the United States.

Automation is also an important characteristic of our systems, especially since schemes have moved over to pressure pipe delivery systems. Most scheme operations are done from a laptop. Many schemes do not need to have workers manually open or close gates; instead, gates can be operated from a computer at a centralized location.

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Kris Polly: What changes have you seen in New Zealand irrigation in recent years?

Andrew Curtis: The viability of the individual schemes and the resulting production levels have improved a great deal due to several factors. From the management perspective, scheme directors now focus more on future planning and governance than on dayto-day management, which is overseen by managers and operators.

There also have been changes driven from a production point of view. Operational changes, such as the move from flood to modern sprinkler irrigation, have led to significant increases in quality and yields of pasture grasses and crops.

Regulators have also driven changes in New Zealand irrigation.

First, there was a regulatory focus on sustaining water quantity, and now, as you saw for yourself, there is focus on improving water quality and addressing the interaction between irrigation efficiency and nutrient discharges.

Kris Polly: There seems to be real support for the expansion of irrigated acres in New Zealand. What is driving that?

Andrew Curtis: There are three significant actors on that point in New Zealand. First, the government has set targets for the agricultural sector to double the value of exports by 2025. As part of this, they created a program to incentivize the increase of production from irrigated land. Second, as there are no subsidies for agricultural production in New Zealand, farmers are constantly looking for ways to become more profitable, and this very much includes building resilience to climatic extremes. Third, there has been a regulatory limits regime put in place, compelling water quantity and quality limits to be set for all freshwater bodies in New Zealand and then managed within.

The government incentive program has two parts: (1) a fund for irrigation acceleration, which supports a 50-50 cost-share grant program to help investigate how to best modernize scheme infrastructure and (2) an investment program for the injection of capital into new schemes and the modernization of older ones. The government’s capital is invested over a 10- to 15-year period to bridge the uptake gap. As uptake moves toward 100 percent, the government receives its money back with interest. In reality, it’s a custom-made commercial equity investment program for each scheme, but the above explains the principles of what’s been put in place.

In addition, the schemes have been able to sell new water gained from both delivery system and on-farm efficiencies. Schemes use these revenues to offset the cost of modernization of their systems.

As a result, some farmers have either increased their irrigated acres or acquired acres from other farmers to take advantage of new water.

Irrigation Leader

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District Focus

The Central Plains Water Enhancement Scheme

By Mark McKenzie

T

here has been no irrigation project in New Zealand in recent times as large as the Central Plains Water Enhancement Scheme (CPWES).

Central Plains Water Limited (CPWL) was established in mid-2003 and is responsible for the scheme construction and scheme operations. The CPWES was first conceived in 1999 when the need was identified for a run-of-river scheme that could bring surface water from the Rakaia and Waimakariri Rivers to farmers on the plains between the two rivers. During the 10–15 years prior, farming had intensified across Canterbury, which led to an increase in demand for groundwater and groundwater consents. (Under New Zealand’s Resource Management Act, local councils decide whether to grant consents for the use of natural resources for activities that might affect the environment.) While providing reliable water supply is the primary role of the scheme, considerable environmental, social, and recreational opportunities will be available to address issues such as groundwater recharge and community prosperity. When the project is complete, the CPWES’s use of alpine surface water will facilitate a reduction in pumped bore water from underground aquifers within the scheme area.

Stages of the Scheme

It took nearly 10 years to secure the Resource consents needed to bring the CPWES scheme into existence. The infrastructure design and construction development began in 2012–2013, which is when we received some funding from the government (the New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries) via an irrigation acceleration grant. That grant allowed us to begin the stage 1 design and development process, complete project funding, and execute construction

contracts ready to commence the on-the-ground work. After completing the design process, we began construction in early 2014. The stage 1 headrace was finished in July 2015, followed by a 2-month commissioning phase, and finally the activation of the pipe network in September of that year. The planning, permitting, and consenting phase took far longer to complete than the 18 months of actual construction.

Stage 1 is providing water to about 23,000 hectares through four gravity-fed pipelines that deliver water to individual farmers’ turnout gates.

There are 115 total on-farm turnouts spread across 90 properties delivering pressurized water at 3.5 bar.

The farmers are able to run their onsite irrigation systems without any electricity or additional pumping.

The 17-kilometer (km)-long level headrace canal is a key component of the scheme. The canal takes water out of the Rakaia River and feeds the 130 km piped distribution network.

Stage 2 will service an additional 25,000 hectares and provide the same pressurized water to the farm turnouts as stage 1. The current demand level for the stage 1 delivery rate is approximately 10 cubic meters per second, and the demand for stage 2 will be similar. Stage 2 construction involves the installation of a single, 2.5-meter-diameter glass-fiber-reinforced plastic (GRP) main trunk pipe off the canal that will carry 9 cubic meters per second of water. The GRP pipe will carry the water 23 km down the Canterbury Plains, progressively transferring it to a large highdensity polyethylene pipe distribution network with pipe sizes ranging from 1,600 millimeters (mm) to 90 mm.

Stage 2 will consist of 180 km of pipe spread across 150 properties. Design for stage 2 began about 12 months ago and is nearly finished. We have contractors engaged and have begun the

The 17-kilometer long-level headrace canal is a key component of the irrigation scheme. The Rakaia River is on the far left.

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Irrigation Leader

actual construction. Stage 2 will be complete and operational by September 2018. The current scheme will ultimately consist of two stages plus a smaller 4,300-hectare scheme currently being constructed above the headrace. The cost for the CPWL’s completion of stage 2 is estimated at NZ$200 million.

While the initial scheme concept was to connect the headrace canal between the Rakaia and Waimakariri Rivers, we no longer need to do that because we have the ability to store water for reliability at Lake Coleridge. We have an agreement allowing for release of that water when it is needed.

The farmers are receiving a reliable supply of water that is pressurized and gravity fed. This allows them to reduce their reliance on electricity, decrease their vulnerability to increases in electricity prices, reduce their irrigation costs by allowing them to forgo operating pumps, and reduce or stop pumping from groundwater aquifers.

Lessons Learned

The past several years of construction and development have taught us valuable lessons about how to move a project of this scale forward. One such lesson operationally has been to keep our operations team as small as possible, while development and construction continues on stage 2. A smaller operational team, using the technical, financial, environmental, and legal resources currently available in the CPWL design and construction teams, has reduced operational overhead. However, the key to having a small operations team has been the technology that we have deployed throughout the scheme. Remote cameras, sensors, and alarms alert us to any problems that may arise without the need for crews to be manually inspecting large areas. In addition, a good preventative maintenance program enables us to reduce the amount of manpower needed to make the scheme work. Technology also allows us to manage the water ordering process from the customer by simplifying the way farmers place their daily water orders. It takes only a minute or two, and it is handled by the computer system before going to our operator who aggregates the orders, calculates the daily scheme demand level, and aligns that with what is available to be taken from the river. If the demand exceeds supply, we have the option to order more water from storage facilities to meet demand.

Our farmers have also learned lessons from the development of the scheme. When we started preparing for the first irrigation season after construction of stage 1 was completed, some of the

Irrigation Leader

farmers were apprehensive because they did not know whether the scheme would be able to meet their needs effectively.

Having water delivered on time at the beginning of the season was critical.

During the first season, some farmers maintained a combination of water supplies using both surface water from the scheme and their existing groundwater supply until they became confident that the scheme could truly deliver the level of service they needed. During the second season, those farmers found it much easier to turn off the groundwater, relinquish the pumps, and rely completely on the surface water from the scheme. Having one source of water simplified the farmers’ daily on-farm operations and reduced their costs.

Community Outreach

Gaining support from the various local and national stakeholders has been a team effort over a long period of time.

We have communications, environmental, finance, and legal teams, and stakeholders that include farmers, local councils, consenting authorities, and other entities. Because we are a shareholder-owned scheme, our shareholders are also our customers. Thus, there is constant communication with those groups, especially the farmers and shareholders.

We are especially careful about how we manage our relationship with the farmers, because they ultimately provide us with the land access that we need for construction. Once construction begins, the farmers remember everything the contractors do that affects their land, especially anything that is negative. We carefully manage the planning and construction communications to ensure that we meet our farmers' expectations. At the end of the day, those farmers are our shareholders and our customers. It is important that we try hard to take care of them.

We have learned that getting these kinds of projects off the ground is complex and that there needs to be a topquality team in place to work through the processes to bring a project to fruition. Negotiating with landowners, obtaining consents, and securing funding are all significant challenges. It is also important to change the focus from planning, funding, designing, and constructing the scheme to a customer-focused delivery of service once the system becomes operational. This requires less of an engineering mindset and more of a customer service perspective. Throughout the life of the project, we have been able to adapt to and overcome these challenges, and we are well on our way to achieving one of the most ambitious surface water irrigation schemes in New Zealand.

Mark McKenzie is the general manager for operations at Central Plains Water Limited. You can reach Mr. McKenzie at operations@cpwl.co.nz.

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Manager Profile

Ben Curry of Rangitata Diversion Race Management Limited

S

urrounded on both sides by the windswept and barren foothills of New Zealand’s Southern Alps, the Rangitata Diversion Race Management Limited (RDRML) provides water to three irrigation schemes that serve a total of 95,000 hectares of irrigated pasture and farmland. Project construction began in 1937, at a time when the country sought to reinvigorate its economy out of the stark economic realities of the Great Depression with the promise of construction and agricultural jobs.

While the 67-kilometer runof-the-river delivery system has served the region well over the last 80 years, it has lacked the stability and certainty of a storage facility to sustain supplies for the next 80 years.

For the RDRML and its constituent schemes, the longterm solution is a 53-million-cubic-meter water storage facility.

The challenge of building support for and financing the construction of a large off-branch earthen dam and reservoir in a country where such projects are rare takes dedicated leadership. Leading the way is Ben Curry, RDRML’s chief executive officer.

After 23 years of service as a Royal Marine in the United Kingdom and multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mr. Curry was in search of a new occupation. After moving to New Zealand with his wife and family, he found his calling in a newspaper advertisement for an irrigation scheme. That was over 9 years ago. He has been guiding the RDRML ever since, employing his military and business leadership skills and a willingness to learn from experts and engineers to address RDRML’s challenges. Mr. Curry spoke with Irrigation Leader’s senior writer, John Crotty, to discuss the history of the proposed project, the challenges in obtaining funding, and the importance of establishing good relations with local communities.

John Crotty: Can you provide a brief history of your storage project and how it got started?

26

Ben Curry: The Rangitata Diversion Race is a runof-the-river scheme with no associated storage. We have a reliable supply of water for our shareholders, but increasing demand has forced us to consider increasing the reliability of the system. Ultimately, it is for the shareholders, and they will be the ones making the investment in the project.

About 25 years ago, there was a proposal to build storage off one of the rivers that we draw water from, but it never came to fruition due to economic and political issues. The failure to build that large-scale storage has led the districts to embark on smaller projects that can store 1 to 2 days’ supply of water, but bulk storage is still needed.

In the future, it is likely that climate change will lead to less snowpack in the mountains and, consequently, lower flows in the rivers, which will pose a risk to our supply systems. Social change may also force us to reduce our take from the rivers we rely on. This will erode our water baseline, which may compromise reliability.

Building storage mitigates some of these issues. Our stakeholders agree on the principle of building more storage but have some disagreement over how to pay for it.

John Crotty: What is the plan to fund the water storage project?

Ben Curry: There is virtually no government grant money available for projects like ours. The capital costs will have to be paid by those who invest in the project and those who want to benefit from it. The issue is not a shortage of funds, but whether people want to invest in the project. We are a relatively low-cost system and a fully depreciated asset.

This means a farmer who is a shareholder will pay far less for our water than other schemes.

John Crotty: Can you talk about the possibility of moving water to the other side of the Rangitata River and expand the irrigated acres there?

Ben Curry: Part of the RDRML strategy is to be an enabler of irrigation, both in Mid Canterbury and beyond.

Our infrastructure allows us to push water from the south to the north and vice versa, which is an asset that we can leverage to help other areas. We use a cooperative business model rather than a corporate one, but building the infrastructure to move water to the southern side of the Rangitata River will not be cheap. Someone will have to pay Irrigation Leader

Above: The proposed site for the Rangitata water supply project on the upstream end of the Rangitata Diversion Race. The total proposed construction area is 500 hectares, including 286 hectares for the water storage facility itself.

Inset: A plaque commemorating the opening of the diversion race in 1945.

the cost along the way to allow us to complete that goal. We have been involved with Environment Canterbury [our state government] to find ways to provide water down there, and we believe we can, but it will depend on how much farmers down there want the water and are willing to pay for it.

John Crotty: Do you know how much acreage you would be able to serve if your efforts are successful?

Ben Curry: There are several different categories of acres.

The type we are most focused on consists of about 8,000 hectares. The people there are predominantly groundwater users, and the state government has warned them that their ability to pump groundwater will decrease significantly with an expected increase in the minimum flow. This will diminish both the opportunity to pump water as well as the volume. Loss of water would harm the value of farm properties, so water users in that area are looking for other water options, but there are almost none, other than obtaining it from the Rangitata. But if we could store some water, we could supply it to them.

John Crotty: Beyond the potential for expanded acreage, have you received buy-in and support from local districts and communities?

Ben Curry: Most people seem to support it. We have made efforts to work collaboratively with local governments and the public during this process. They seem to appreciate that, even if they will not be investors in the project. Those who live immediately downstream of the proposed dam have some concerns about the project, but it is widely supported overall. However, we are still not certain how many of those supporters will actually invest in the effort. We still have a long way to go because we do not actually have a permit yet Irrigation Leader

for the storage dam. We will present our case for the permit at a hearing in June. If we get a permit, the next stages of the process will include design and contracting, obtaining funding, and construction. But it will be at least another 18 months before we are ready to start building, assuming we can easily obtain the permits.

John Crotty: What challenges have you had to overcome to bring the project along thus far?

Ben Curry: Internally, we had to convince our board to sign off on the feasibility study to show that there were no fatal flaws in the proposed project. We then implemented a resource consent process, which to date has cost us $1 million and counting. There is some concern that we are overbuilding or overplanning in terms of volume, and some shareholders are telling us not to worry about any other users and just build the project to suit us. That is an option, but I believe that it will come back to haunt us later. Our consents come up for renewal every 25–30 years, and we need to protect that permit. Interconnecting ourselves with other users makes it easier to safeguard that interest and harder for someone to oppose our operations.

We have been conducting outreach with those who might otherwise have a more reserved position on irrigation, like environmental groups, local communities, and the indigenous Maoris, who are often concerned about the idea of taking water from the river. There have been a series of meetings and community gatherings to share our plans with people and find out what concerns or recommendations they have.

The meetings have been productive overall and have helped establish a dialogue with community leaders that hopefully will convince them to both support and invest in our project going forward.

27

Irrigated Crops

Growing on New Zealand’s South Island

Chicory: Chicory is a perennial plant with deep

roots that are often ground and used as an additive to or substitute for coffee. Many dairy farmers in New Zealand plant chicory in their pasture so that cattle can graze on the plant itself. Chicory is resistant to insects and drought, making it a suitable food source during dry summer months. It is frequently planted in combination with clover, ryegrass, or turnips.

Feed wheat: An important market for wheat

harvests in New Zealand is dairy animal feed. Feed wheat can be sown in both the spring and fall seasons.

Over the past 2 years, however, farmers in New Zealand have decreased their production of feed wheat due to decreased demand from the dairy industry as well as low global prices.

28

Irrigation Leader

Fodder Beets: Fodder beet is a high-yield feed for wintering dairy cattle. It is a versatile crop that can be grown onto a platform where it is grazed by cattle or can be removed and placed in feed troughs. Fodder beet is planted in late October–early November but can hold its nutritional value until the following spring. The bulb comprises the majority of the total yield, and the plant is effective at adding body weight to cattle and other livestock. Fodder beet is relatively resilient to adverse weather conditions due to its deep taproot, which allows it to pull moisture from soil more efficiently. There are different categories of fodder beets that have different dry matter yield levels; these can be paired with different types of soil to optimize growth and resilience.

Irrigation Leader

29

Pasture: Besides chicory, ryegrass and plantain are grown in pasture areas for livestock farms. Ryegrass is

the most common and is favored because of its ability to continue to regrow for many years. Moist, fertile soil is ideal for ryegrass; it does not grow well in hot, dry conditions. For this reason, farmers often plant ryegrass in combination with other plants that are more resilient to drought or soil conditions.

Plantain: This herb is more resilient than chicory, making it more suitable for hot, dry conditions.

Plantain will often regrow for 2–3 years after being planted, and its regrowth can be boosted with the proper use of nitrogen.

Seed Carrots: New Zealand is a large exporter

of carrot seeds to foreign markets. The crop is often grown more for the seeds than for the edible roots.

Australia, Asia, and Europe are the largest export markets for carrot seeds, with the Netherlands being the largest market for carrots. Mid Canterbury is the largest seedgrowing region in New Zealand.

30

Irrigation Leader

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The Innovators New Zealand Windbreaks After logging hundreds of kilometers across the Canterbury Plains, one feature of the landscape stood out above all others to participants on the Irrigation Leader tour. It wasn't the Southern Alps in the distance, nor the glacial blue water rushing out to sea. It was the hedges. Field after field, kilometer after kilometer, symmetrically trimmed rows of pine and cypress, some rising 15 or 20 feet high, blocking wind and views. Gary Esslinger of Elephant Butte Irrigation District was certain that farmers used pecan tree trimmers to shape the hedges. The hedges themselves date back to the arrival of the British on the South Island in the mid-1800s, when farmers struggled to hold on to soil and crops from prevailing northwestern winds.

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Irrigation Leader

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CLASSIFIED LISTINGS

CAREER OPPORTUNITY Central Arizona Irrigation and Drainage District (CAIDD)

CAIDD was formed in 1964 for the purpose of providing a supply of irrigation water for agricultural use by constructing and operating an irrigation system and related works. CAIDD consists of approximately 87,000 acres of irrigated farmlands. CAIDD has 220 miles of concrete lined canals with a total of Property, Plant and Equipment of $18 million. CAIDD has two principle sources of water, Central Arizona Project (CAP) water and groundwater pumped from approximately 350 wells located within its boundaries and are operated and maintained by CAIDD under long term lease agreements with CAIDD Landowners. CAIDD is governed by a nine-member board of directors elected by registered voters to staggered three year terms to represent one of three election divisions.

CAIDD is seeking applications from interested and qualified candidates for the following position: DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER This position requires leadership for the general planning, direction and supervision for water resources, construction, maintenance, operations and planning. The desirable candidate will have a bachelor’s degree in a related field and/or five years upper management in the irrigation industry, preferably with some Ag background. Annual compensation will be commensurate with experience and qualifications. CAIDD offers an excellent benefit package which includes paid holidays, vacation and sick leave, medical, vision, dental insurance, 401(k)/ Arizona State Retirement System. Candidate must reside within a 30-minute radius of District Office. This position is under the direct supervision of the General Manager with learning and growth opportunities to replace retiring General Manger within two (2) years.

Application packages require a cover letter, resume and recent salary history along with (3) business and (3) personal references by mail or email to: Central Arizona Irrigation and Drainage District, ATTN: HR Dept., 231 S. Sunshine Blvd., Eloy, AZ 85131 (email to HR@caidd.com).

Deadline for submission of applications is on Wednesday, May 24th, 2017. Only

short listed candidates will be contacted for an interview. All information will be kept strictly confidential.

CAREER OPPORTUNITY Electrical District No. 4 (ED4) in Pinal County ED4 was formed in 1928 by the Pinal County Board of Supervisors. ED4 was organized to provide, and has provided since 1930, electrical power and energy primarily for producing water for irrigation. ED4 has a service area of approximately 156,000 acres and provides electrical service to agricultural irrigation pumping, industrial, commercial and residential customers. ED4 provides electrical services to more than 300 irrigation wells. ED4 maintains approximately 390 miles of overhead/underground electrical lines with total utility and plant in service of $27 million. ED4 is governed by a five-member board of directors elected annually by freeholders of property within ED4’s boundaries.

ED4 is seeking applications from interested and qualified candidates for the following position: DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER This position requires leadership for the general planning, direction and supervision for marketing, engineering, construction, maintenance, resource efficiency and planning. The desirable candidate will have a bachelor’s degree in a related field and/or five years upper management in the electrical industry, preferably with some Ag background. Annual compensation will be commensurate with experience and qualifications.

ED4 offers an excellent benefit package which includes paid holidays, vacation and sick leave, medical, vision, dental insurance, 401(k)/ Arizona State Retirement System. Candidate must reside within a 30- minute radius of District Office. This position is under the direct supervision of the General Manager with learning and growth opportunities to replace retiring General Manger within two years.

Application packages require a cover letter, resume and recent salary history along with business and (3) personal references by mail or email to: Electrical District No. 4, ATTN: HR Dept., 231 S. Sunshine Blvd., Eloy, AZ 85131 (email to HR@caidd.com).

Deadline for submission of applications is on Wednesday, May 24, 2017. Only short listed candidates will be contacted for an interview. All information will be kept strictly confidential.

(We are an equal opportunity employer)

(We are an equal opportunity employer)

Norman M. Semanko Water / Environment / Reclamation Law & Contracts

Litigation ▪ Negotiation Dispute Resolution ▪ Mediation Experienced Water Rights Attorney

Vice Chair, Litigation Review Committee, National Water Resources Association

Bridging the gap between idea + achievement

Offices worldwide Contact Norm at: (208) 385-5446 or nms@moffatt.com Learn more at www.moffatt.com

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