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IRRIGATION

PARKS HYDROELECTRIC

ELECTRIC

DRAINAGE

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Merced River Watershed Area 1,037 sq. miles

Total Acres In-District: 154,000 Acres Irrigated In-District: 115,000 SOI/Commitment Acreage: 60,000 Water Users: 2,223 Total Miles of Canals: 723 Miles of Concrete Lined Canals: 139 Miles of Pipelined Canals: 81 Miles of Drains: 34 Groundwater Extraction Wells: 185 Boosters: 46

Merced

Atwater

Livingston

Cressey

Le Grand

Winton

Franklin- Beachwood

Planada

Tuttle

El Nido

Merced Irrigation District and Communities

Who We Serve

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Who We Serve

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In-District • Total District Acreage = 154,000 acres • Total Irrigated Acreage = 115,000 acres • Average Farm Size = 49 acres • Small Family Farms • Over 50 Types of Crops • Estimated Crop Value = $221M • Direct Agriculture Impact = 1/3 of

Merced Economy

• San Joaquin Valley Continues to be Among Hardest Hit Regions in Nation from Recession

• Especially True in Merced • Foreclosure and Unemployment Rates Within

Top 10 for Entire Country • More Than a Fourth of Our Residents Live

Below Poverty Level – Twice That of Rest of State

• Half Per Capita and Half Household Income as Rest of State

Who We Serve

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Economic Impacts

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SED Analysis • Devastating Impact on Local

Economy • Approximately $23.5 Million Annual

Losses to Communities that Depend on Merced ID

• Could See Direct Loss of 160 Jobs • Indirect Loss Even Higher

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Reality - Small family farms can’t survive as assumed in draft SED

Applied to Merced Irrigation District

Acreage Percent of

District Family Farm Equivalent

Irrigated Acreage 115,000 Average Annual Fallowing 44,621 38% 890 Critical Dry Year Fallowing 70,000 61% 1,429

Economic Impacts

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District/Regional Economics • Loss of Revenue

• Reduced Surface Water Sales • Reduced Hydropower Revenue • Reduced Customer Base

• Impacts Operations and Maintenance • Stranded Capital Costs • Water Removed Has a Value

• Communities Required to Reinvest in a Different Water System

• Significant Cost to Salvage What is Left

Economic Impacts

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Historical groundwater pumping 7,000 cfs to

100,000 + AF supplemented by private pumping

MID owns and operates 185 active wells in years of surface water shortage

Merced ID – A Conjunctive Use District

Groundwater Impacts

Conjunctive Use • Coordinated Use of Surface Water and

Groundwater • Actively Managing Underground Aquifer as

Reservoir/Bank • During Normal and Wet Years Surface Water is Applied

to Maximum Acreage Possible • Minimizes Need for Groundwater Pumping • Recharging, or “Banking,” Surface Water in the Aquifer • Withdrawals from “Bank” are Made During Years of

Limited Surface Water Supply

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Groundwater Impacts

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-

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000

800,000

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

140,000

160,000

180,000

200,000

1970

1971

1972

1973

1974

1975

1976

1977

1978

1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

End

of O

ctob

er S

tora

ge (A

cre-

Feet

)

Acre

-Fee

t Pum

ped

Gro

undw

ater

End of October Storage in New Exchequer Vs Pumping Groundwater

"Pumped Groundwater" End of October Storage

Groundwater Impacts

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Regional Water Resource Management • Merced Water Supply Plan • Surface Groundwater Optimization Program

(SUGWOP) • Merced Area Groundwater Pool Interests (MAGPI) • Integrated Regional Water Management Plan

(IRWMP) • Surface Water/Groundwater Model for the

Merced Basin

Groundwater Impacts

Based on DWR Bulletin 118 data, the basin is in the top five productive basins in the state

500,000 acres

Average TDS 300 PPM

Merced Groundwater Basin, a state-wide strategic basin

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Why is this Important?

Groundwater Impacts

-70

-60

-50

-40

-30

-20

-10

0

1970

1972

1974

1976

1978

1980

1982

1984

1986

1988

1990

1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

2002

2004

2006

2008

2010

Dept

h Be

low

Gro

und

(ft)

MID Static Groundwater Levels December Average

Merced Water Supply Plan, a regional cooperative effort

• Regional Conjunctive Use Plan, Meet Future Water Needs of Eastern Merced County Through 2040

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Groundwater Impacts

Le Grand

Planada

Local Cone of Depression

Local Cone of Depression

Groundwater Impacts

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,00019

93

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Acre

-Fee

t Gro

undw

ater

Pum

ped

Municipal vs MID Groundwater Pumping 1993-2011

Total Municipal AF Combined Acre Feet Pumped In Season

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Groundwater Impacts

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Black Rascal Water Company City of Atwater Lone Tree Mutual Water Company City of Livingston Meadowbrook Water Company Stevinson Water District* Merquin County Water District Merced Irrigation District* Winton Water & Sanitary District City of Merced Planada Comm. Services District County of Merced Le Grand-Athlone Water District Turner Island Water District Le Grand Community Services District

East Merced RCD – Member at Large

*Also a surface water purveyor

MAGPI Membership

Working together to manage the basin

Groundwater Impacts

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•MAGPI Vision • Maximize Conjunctive Water

Management for Reliable Local, Regional and State-Wide Water Supply • Expand Use Of Surface Water • Expand Groundwater Production

Capability • Continue Water Conservation Efforts • Monitor Groundwater

Groundwater Impacts

Surface and Groundwater Optimization Program (SUGWOP) • Groundwater Management

• Intentional Recharge Basins • Low-Head Boosters Replacing Deep Wells • MID Incentive Programs

• Surface Water Conservation/Water Quality • Measurement • Automation/Control • Regulating Basins • Pipeline Select Open Laterals • Irrigation Efficiency Programs • Operation Discharge Recovery

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Groundwater Impacts

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-400,000

-300,000

-200,000

-100,000

0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000

800,000

900,000

1,000,000

1,100,000

1,200,000

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Acre

-Fee

t

Conjunctive Use MID Cumulative Impact on Groundwater

Cum Pumping Cum In-Lieu Recharge Cum Net Addition to GW

Groundwater Impacts

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• Draft SED States • MID Capacity for Pumping Groundwater =

180,000 AF • That Was 40 Years Ago

• Due to Dropping Groundwater Levels, Capacity = 100,000 AF

• Aquifer is Already Stressed and Proposed Action Will Drive More People to Aquifer, Further Reducing Yield

Groundwater Impacts

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• Unravel Decades of Regional Water Supply Collaboration Within a Self-Sustaining Proactive Region

• Result in Over-Draft of Groundwater Basin and Deterioration of Groundwater Quality

• Only Source of Drinking Water for Residents in Merced, Atwater and Livingston, as Well as Other Disadvantaged Communities in the Region

Groundwater Impacts

Water Supply Impacts

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Total Canal Deliveries (1,000 acre-feet)

Year Type

Current Requirements

SWRCB SED & Current

Req. DifferenceW 488.4 488.4 0.0AN 494.6 493.1 -1.4BN 498.3 474.7 -23.6D 498.6 463.5 -35.1C 354.9 284.7 -70.2

All Years 466.7 443.5 -23.3

Reservoir Impacts

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• Lake McClure Smallest Tributary Reservoir, Generally Filled and Drawn Down Each Year per Draft SED

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1,00019

22-W

1923

-AN

1924

-C19

25-B

N19

26-D

1927

-AN

1928

-BN

1929

-C19

30-C

1931

-C19

32-A

N19

33-D

1934

-C19

35-A

N19

36-A

N19

37-W

1938

-W19

39-D

1940

-AN

1941

-W19

42-W

1943

-W19

44-B

N19

45-A

N19

46-A

N19

47-D

1948

-BN

1949

-BN

1950

-BN

1951

-AN

1952

-W19

53-B

N19

54-B

N19

55-D

1956

-W19

57-B

N19

58-W

1959

-D19

60-C

1961

-C19

62-B

N19

63-A

N19

64-D

1965

-W19

66-B

N19

67-W

1968

-D19

69-W

1970

-AN

1971

-BN

1972

-D19

73-A

N19

74-W

1975

-W19

76-C

1977

-C19

78-W

1979

-AN

1980

-W19

81-D

1982

-W19

83-W

1984

-AN

1985

-D19

86-W

1987

-C19

88-C

1989

-C19

90-C

1991

-C19

92-C

1993

-W19

94-C

1995

-W19

96-W

1997

-W19

98-W

1999

-AN

2000

-AN

2001

-D20

02-D

2003

-BN

(1,0

00 a

cre-

feet

)

McClure Carryover Storage

SWRCB SED & Current Req. Current Requirements

Recreation Impacts

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•Recreational Impacts at Lake McClure • Recreation Facilities Rendered High and

Dry • Recreation Driven in Large Part by Lake

Levels • Severely Limits Shoreline Access • Reduced Visitation

Average Annual Reduction in Cold Water Storage at End of June of 100,000 AF

Cold Water Pool Impacts

Higher Release Temperatures from New Exchequer Reservoir when Fall-Run Chinook Return to Spawn

Cold Water Pool Impacts

FERC Study Results (Current Conditions) • Spawning

• Spawning Timing As Expected • Egg Viability is High in Merced River

• Rearing • Habitat Availability Generally Exceeds 80% Through May • Fry, Pre-smolt And Smolt Abundance Consistent With

Escapement

• Outmigration • SURVIVING OUTMIGRATION IS WELL BELOW EXPECTED

UNDER EXISTING FLOWS AND TEMPERATURES

Merced River Chinook Salmon Impacts

• Spawning Impacts • Temperatures During Spawning Would Increase • Delay Spawning and Timing of Subsequent Life

Stages • Decrease Survival

• Rearing Impacts • Rearing Habitat Availability Will Not Increase

and Potentially Decrease With Warmer Temperatures

• Outmigration Impacts • Timing of Outmigration Will Be Delayed • Decreasing Survival Potential and Production

Merced River Chinook Salmon Impacts

•Draft Flow Objective Can Adversely Affect Viability of Merced River Chinook Salmon

•Conflicts with Stated Purpose •Request SWRCB Study and Disclose

These Impacts and Provide Rational on Why Benefits of Spring Releases Outweigh These Impacts

Merced River Chinook Salmon Impacts

Merced ID Voices Strong Opposition to Draft SED • Unravel Decades of Sustainable Regional

Conjunctive Use and Regional Water Supply Collaboration

• Results in Over-Drafting of Groundwater Basin • Cost Jobs, Economically Devastates an Already

Struggling Region and Destroys a Way of Life for Thousands of Small Family Farmers

• Presents Unilateral Demands Without Quantifying Benefit or Goal to be Achieved

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Conclusion

Merced Irrigation District Requests • Pursue Comprehensive Solution

Consistent with Delta's Co-equal Goals • Prioritize Non-Flow Measures Before

Demanding Flow Increases that Threaten Economic Vitality of Already Distressed Counties, Cities, and Small Family Farms

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Conclusion

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Thank You for Consideration of Our Concerns