Thursday September 8, 2022
Turlock Journal —
Turlock Irrigation District’s board of directors voted unanimously Tuesday to move toward a voluntary agreement that would supersede flow requirements within the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan.
That plan was first adopted in 2018, but the flow requirements never have been implemented. But since then, the plan has been the flashpoint for a debate — in simplest terms, think of it as fish vs. farms — that pits the environmental groups, such as the Tuolumne River Trust, against public utilities, such as the Turlock Irrigation District, Modesto Irrigation District and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. Those three agencies share the Tuolumne River’s water rights.
The 5-0 vote gives TID general manager Michelle Reimers and staff the green light to sign a memorandum of understanding, which very likely will lead to the voluntary agreement with the state’s Water Resources Control Board.
“The goal of negotiating a successful VA is to avoid the implementation of the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan Phase I, which, you know, is absolutely devastating to our region,” Reimers said during Tuesday’s special meeting at TID headquarters. “Last week, we came to a consensus on the major issues that we’ve been facing with the state.”