February 5, 2021

Moises Ortiz, Malaga County Water District General Manager, appointed to fill Board Seat 7

Following a tie-breaking coin toss, Moises Ortiz, General Manager of Malaga County Water District, was appointed and sworn in to fill the at-large Seat No. 7 at the January 28, 2021 Board Meeting. Director Ortiz brings seven years of experience with Malaga County Water District, and previously held the position of Lead Operator prior to serving as the District’s General Manager. With a degree in Business Management and current enrollment in a Public Administration master’s program, Director Ortiz intends to bring his experience and representation of Disadvantaged Communities like Malaga to the North Kings GSA Board. Two others, Eduardo Antunez and Kyler Moeller, had expressed interest in the at-large Seat after learning about the opening through outreach including email updates. The Board followed the tie-breaking coin toss between Antunez and Ortiz with the appointment of Antunez and Moeller as first and second alternates, respectively. Mr. Antunez is the General Manager of Biola Community Services District and has an interest in serving on the North Kings GSA Board on behalf of Biola community residents. His stated goal is to keep the town of Biola sustainable into the future. Mr. Moeller is a Senior Irrigation Technician with Fowler Packing with a degree in Agricultural Engineering from Cal Poly SLO, and a master’s degree in Water Resources Management from Fresno State University. He brings an interest and knowledge in the nexus between agricultural and municipal water management, awareness of SGMA progress around the San Joaquin Valley, and the perspective of a de minimus pumper living within the North Kings GSA. The at-large Seat No. 7 was open for candidates from municipal/industrial water supply members not already seated on the Board, contracting entities to the North Kings GSA, and interested parties.

Director Steve Pickens and Alternate Director Shay Bakman sworn in for Seat No. 3

In other Board news, Seat No. 3, a seat shared by Bakman Water Company, City of Kerman and Biola Community Services District, was also filled. In this current rotation, it is Bakman Water Company’s turn to fill the seat. On Monday, January 25th, Director Steve Pickens and Alternate Director Shay Bakman were sworn in as Board Seat No. 3 members. Director Pickens grew up in the San Joaquin, California area and worked for James Irrigation District in 1986 as Shop Foreman and then for Tranquility Irrigation District in 1992 as the Superintendent. In 2002, Pickens began working for the Bakman Water Company managing the operations of water system and construction-related activities. Pickens has worked in the water industry for over 30 years and has experience in operating both domestic and agriculture-based water systems. Steve now lives with his wife and two children on a small farm in the Tollhouse area where he raises sheep. Alternate Director Shay Bakman also represents Bakman Water Company. The company has operated in the Central Valley for over 70 years and currently serves over 20,000 people in two counties, Fresno and Madera. Water is an instrumental part of the Bakman family legacy as they are in their fourth generation of working in the industry.

Two North Kings GSA projects included in $4.8 million grant application will recharge groundwater while benefitting community residents

The Kings Subbasin submitted four projects in a grant application requesting $4.8 million in funding from the CA Department of Water Resources Prop 68 SGMA Implementation Grant. Two of the grant projects located in the North Kings GSA requested a share of $1.4 million for the Fresno Irrigation District’s Savory Pond Expansion and City of Kerman Lyons Park Basin modifications. Both projects will boost groundwater levels while benefiting nearby community residents who rely on groundwater for drinking water supply. North Kings GSA’s member agency, Fresno Irrigation District, is seeking funding for the Savory Pond Project. This project will include a 20-acre basin to recharge an additional 900 acre-feet of groundwater annually. An acre-foot is enough water to cover a football field one foot deep.

FID's Savory Pond Project will recharge enough groundwater every year to fill up an entire football field, one foot deep... 900 times.

The multi-benefit project will improve groundwater levels and water supply reliability for growers, nearby domestic well owners, and community residents in the Shady Lakes Mobile Home Park, a Disadvantaged Community. Click HERE to watch a short video summarizing the project highlights. Also included in the application is North Kings GSA member agency, City of Kerman whose Lyons Park Basin Project will lead to modifications offering more groundwater recharge capacity. The modifications will provide an additional 135 acre-feet of annual recharge to benefit residents and the surrounding area, also a Disadvantaged Community. The application includes two additional projects in the Kings Subbasin, one in the Kings River East GSA and another in South Kings GSA.

Reflecting on 2020’s progress and making important strides toward sustainability in 2021

2020 Year-In-Review After years of effort, the North Kings GSA Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) was submitted in late January of 2020. The GSP outlines specific projects and metrics of success for NKGSA. Here are some other 2020 achievements worth celebrating: The Kings Subbasin Coordination Agreement was fully executed.

Kassy Chauhan, pictured to the right, became the Executive Officer of NKGSA in February 2020. NKGSA received a Department of Water Resources Grant for monitoring well improvements and an additional $70,000 to improve the monitoring network. NKGSA coordinated with Fresno County on Review of Well Permit Applications and Planning document, ensuring projects align with the GSA’s sustainability goals. Agency Mitigation Responsibility discussions led to a better understanding of what percent of groundwater overdraft each member GSA is responsible for mitigating.

2021 Priorities In 2021, North Kings GSA will continue working toward sustainability goals through policy development, intentional interaction with stakeholders, research studies, and more.  NKGSA will finalize each member agency's percent of overdraft responsibility, adopting them into a Mitigation Responsibility Policy. The 2020 Annual Report will be submitted by April 1, 2021. NKGSA will ensure all information is gathered from the monitoring network and any other relevant entities. Initiate a Boundary flow study to quantify the amount of groundwater flowing to and from the NKGSA to allow for appropriate accounting and mitigation. Applying for grant funding is a high priority. NKGSA will actively pursue funding opportunities. NKGSA will further engage with elected officials and policy makers to continue making steps toward groundwater sustainability in our region and provide the greatest benefit to our landowners and residents.  Continued outreach and stakeholder engagement will take place with regular e-updates sent out with important SGMA and regional information.

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North Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency C/O Fresno Irrigation District 2907 S Maple Avenue Fresno, CA 93725

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