Expanding Storage to Sustain Agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley John Sweigard of Merced Irrigation District
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IRRIGATION LEADER
PHOTOS COURTESY OF MERCED IRRIGATION DISTRICT.
With rights dating back to the 1800s, Merced Irrigation District (MID) is a senior water rights holder on California’s Merced River, a tributary of the San Joaquin River. The irrigation district formed in 1919 and built Exchequer Dam, creating Lake McClure. MID completed the 490-foot New Exchequer Dam in 1967, impounding more than 1 million acre-feet of surface water, creating flood control space, and providing a generating capacity of 95 megawatts of renewable hydroelectric power. MID currently serves approximately 2,200 growers and more than 130,000 acres of highvalue orchards and row crops in the eastern San Joaquin Valley. Over the years, and like most water providers in California, MID has been working to increase its water supply capacity. On June 6, the U.S.
House of Representatives passed H.R. 8, the Water Resources Development Act of 2018. The legislation included an amendment from Congressmen Costa and Denham of California, as well as Congressmen McClintock and Garamendi, intended to assist MID in its efforts. Specifically, it would allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to accept funding from nonfederal hydroelectric operators in order to review and update reservoir operations manuals. Such a review is a critical first step in MID’s overall effort to increase the end-of-summer carry-over storage capacity of Lake McClure by 57,000 acre-feet. A review of the operations manual for Lake McClure would allow the Army Corps to consider new science and data and would be a crucial first step toward increasing the carry-over storage capacity of Lake McClure. General Manager John Sweigard has been leading MID in its efforts to sustain and maintain a reliable supply of water and power for its farmers and customers. Mr. Sweigard has a deep
