New mobile water tracking system will face test

When the Legislature passed a package of bills in 2009 on water use and water management, the agricultural industry knew change was in store.

Now growers in larger agricultural districts are learning how much change will cost.

Engineer Jeff Davids has been working with Biggs West Gridley, Reclamation District 108 and Richvale Irrigation District to comply with the rules that require water metering for water districts of greater than 25,000 acres.

One problem is if a meter is installed, it could get clogged by weeds or vandalized, Davids said.

He's come up with a plan that would use "weir boxes," where water enters the field.

A portable measuring device will be placed into the weir box when the water is adjusted.

After flow measurements, the meter pops out, and is taken to the next location. All of the information is uploaded wirelessly via a computer tablet.

The big cost is to build the stationary weir boxes, which can cost about $3,000 each.

Right now, the amount of water is measured by calculating the amount of water flowing above the diversion, and the amount of water below the water diversion. The difference is the amount of flow to the field.

Davids has been working with the districts since 2011, and the boards of the three water agencies have voted to move forward. Glenn-Colusa is also experimenting through a pilot project, he said.

The costs are added on to the cost of doing farming.

One district, for example, will charge each water user $4,000 for improvements, he said.

The other districts will save up some money in their operating funds.

Reclamation District 108, for example, will spend about $2 million for 650 new turnouts, explained manager Lewis Bair.

This will require a vote by landowners within the district, under Proposition 218 rules that require an election for new land fees.

They'll charge water users $2,900 per water turnout and $7 per acre. These costs will be spread over three years, Bair explained.

Richvale Irrigation District, as another example, has about 300 water turnouts, and Biggs West Gridley has about 360, Davids said.
