Category: Central Valley

From Capitol Public Radio By

Amy Quinton

Large groundwater withdrawals are causing land in California’s Central Valley to sink. It’s become so serious that it’s threatening flood control and water deliveries. The proposed high speed rail system will also have deal with the changing terrain.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Chase Hurley is general manager of the San Luis Canal Company in Dos Palos. He points to a small dam near the river in western Madera County. It’s likely the most important structure for the irrigation company because it guides water from the river into its canal system.

“That dam, and this canal are sinking roughly six inches a year,” says Hurley.”So when that happens the dams not going to be high enough to physically gravitational push that down the canal.”

(Sack Dam is sinking six inches a year due to subsidence. Photo By Amy Quinton)

Groundwater withdrawals in the Central Valley are causing the ground to sink. It’s a phenomenon called subsidence, and it’s historically been a problem in the Central Valley. But satellite maps show the problem is much worse.

 (Satellite Map of Subsidence Area)

“We’ve got some recent information from NASA and some staff at jet propulsion laboratory and have noticed two areas that are subsiding nearly up to a foot a year for the past four to five years,” says Dane Mathis an engineering geologist with the California Department of Water Resources.

The rate of subsidence varies geographically, but it covers a large area across Western Madera and Merced County. And going right through it, is the San Jose to Merced segment of California’s proposed high speed rail system.

“We’re aware of it, we take that into consideration as another engineering element to take into our design elements,” says Frank Vacca who is in charge of engineering teams for the California High Speed Rail Authority.

He says High Speed Rail will use ballasted track comprised of stone, which he says is flexible enough for subsidence.

“If you have to adjust it you can add more stone and quickly bring it back to the level you require it at, so it makes it very economical to adjust the track,” says Vacca.

But other engineers say there are a lot of variables.

Bruce Kutter, a civil engineering professor at UC Davis, says the integrity of the rail bed will depend on the severity of the subsidence and how rapidly it occurs along the track.

“Over a short distance if there’s a significant change in the elevation of the track, the ride will become uncomfortable and bumpy and potentially unsafe,” says Kutter.

If the subsidence is gradual over the length of the track, Kutter says it would be manageable.

In some areas, the rate of subsidence is causing alarm.

“In the last five years there’s been subsidence of four feet,” says Reggie Hill, with the Lower San Joaquin Levee District, which operates the Eastside Bypass.

“Our bypass system is right in the middle of it,” he says. “We convey flood flows around the San Joaquin River because the San Joaquin River has constraints in its channel, and the Bypass system is designed to carry twice the amount that the river can.”

(Erosion in channel of Lower San Joaquin Levee District, Photo By Amy Quinton)

But when channels sink, river banks erode. The loosened soil moves downstream, reducing capacity and pushing water close to the top of 14 miles of levees.

“It’s an extreme situation,” says Hill. “We need to address it and now that we’re aware of it we need to jump on it as quickly as we possibly can.”

Subsidence is putting hundreds of acres of farmland, an elementary school, the city of Dos Palos and Highway 152 at risk.

Michelle Sneed, a USGS hydrologist says subsidence is causing even more problems.

About 50 feet away from the Delta Mendota Canal, just south of a small town called Oro Loma in the Central Valley, Sneed measures groundwater levels.

The Delta Mendota Canal carries water to parts of the central valley and southern California.

“In this location there are several visual effects that you can see as a result of subsidence,” says Sneed. “A couple of them are buckles in the lining of the canal.”

(Cracks and buckle in concrete lining of Delta Mendota Canal. Photo by Amy Quinton)

Sneed’s been studying the effects of subsidence on the Delta Mendota Canal for several years.

“It’s not a small problem,” she says. “It’s a problem for not only the Delta Mendota Authority and the Bureau of Reclamation to maintain the flow and level in the Delta Mendota Canal but there are canals that are just snaking through this area.”

One canal just a few miles north has lost 50 percent of its capacity due to subsidence.

A USGS study soon to be released will show the details and the extent of the subsidence problem, and how it’s reducing capacity of the Delta-Mendota Canal, the California Aqueduct, and other canals that carry water to both urban and agricultural areas.

Mono winds are very strong winds that occur when very high pressure, especially in the middle atmosphere is located east of the Sierra Nevada, and lower pressure is located off the southern California coast. The air rushes down the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada, as high as 100 mph at times, strong enough to knock down large trees. The Mono Wind event is expected to last from Thursday evening, through Saturday afternoon, with peak intensity occurring Friday evening. As a result, a High Wind Warning is in effect for the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada and a Wind advisory in effect above 2000 feet in the Foothill areas beginning 7 PM Thursday until 4AM Saturday.

Settlement Reached with Kern County Oil Firm for Discharging Fracking Fluid

The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board on Nov15 announced that Vintage Production California LLC has agreed to pay a $60,00penalty for discharging hydraulic fracturing fluid into an unlined sump in violation of the California Water Code.The penalty is the result of a settlement agreement between Vintage and the SVRWQCB  prosecution team and is the maximum penalty allowable under the state Water Code.

The prosecution team’s investigation determined that Vintage periodically discharged saline water, formation fluids, and hydraulic fracturing fluid to an unlined sump for 12 days.  The sump was next to a newly drilled Vintage oil well near the City of Shafter in Kern County.

The investigation began after a YouTube video was brought to the prosecution team’s attention.

More Citrus Pyslids In Tulare County

County Ag Commissioner confirms more finds of the Asian Citrus Pysllid pest, a major threat to the state’s citrus industry.The latest finds this month were in the Lemon Cove area, another between Exeter and Farmersville and a third in the Richgrove area add up a total of 10 so far this fall.As of now, 300 square miles in the county is quarantined  with the chances more land will be added,perhaps the entire county.The latest finds in traps did not include any live psyllids.

Tulare Hospital Talks to 5 Potential Partners

The most recent meeting of the board of the Tulare Regional Medical Center heard that a board committee was meeting with 5 potential alignment partners for the financially troubled district.

Board member Sherri Bell says they hope to have a management agreement with one entity in the next 2 months the Tulare Voice newspaper reported.

The district remains at odds with its contractor on its stalled tower project with Harris Construction saying in court papers it was concerned the district did not have the money to complete the big project.

Lemoore Mayor Allegedly Sends Bruising Email

An email supposedly sent by Lemoore Mayor Billy Siegel has prompted a local educator who publishes an on-line newspaper – The Lemoore Leader – to threaten to sue the city and call for Siegel’s resignation as the town’s mayor. The two community leaders ahve been at odds politically.

The story was detailed recently in the Hanford Sentinel. The Sentinel says “In a Sept. 1 message obtained by The Sentinel, Siegel accuses former mayor and city councilman Ed Martin of having “homosexual tendencies” and an “infatuation with young boys.” He further stated that Martin has considered “self termination” and has a “serious chemicals (sic) imbalance.”
Siegel went on to offer the City Council’s help to assist and guide Martin “on a path away from your troubled journey.”
The message is signed “William Siegel, Mayor, City of Lemoore.”
Besides Martin, several city officials were copied on the message, including Acting City Manager Jeff Laws, Parks and Recreation Director Joe Simonson and Councilman John Gordon.
Martin says the email, which was sent from Siegel’s personal account at 3:43 a.m. Sept. 1, is baseless. He has since filed a legal claim for damages against Siegel and the city.

 First In A Series On Central Valley Retail

He is from Los Angeles but Dave Paynter is familiar name around Visalia and the Central Valley. Developer Paynter has a 25 year history of turning underperforming properties, real challenges – into retail hot spots along Mooney Boulevard. Remember the “Sin City” apartments at Mooney and Walnut? It is now Park Place Promenade anchored by Kohls and Ross.

Now he has taken on perhaps his biggest development challenge – buying a tired,60 percent empty 1970’s shopping center –  the Sequoia Mall this Friday for an undisclosed sum.

In coming weeks we will share what big plans he has for the mall.”If anyone can do it – Dave Paynter can” says John Dubois of Core Commercial Real Estate who brokered the sale for partners Kimco Real Estate and Schottenstein Properties.”He has a great track record in Visalia.” Dubois says Paynter won the bidding on the 24.3 acre mall over multiple offers. The sale includes Tower Plaza as well as the mall not including the Sears and Hobby Lobby spaces.

More later

 Multi-national contractor Balfour Beatty has filed suit against the City of Visalia in a dispute over bidding on the $93 million upgrade to the city’s Water Conservation Treatment Plant. The project recently awarded to rival W.M. Lyles is the largest public works project in Visalia history.In the lawsuit filed October 29 in Tulare County Superior Court attorneys for the British-based Balfour Beatty request the court approve an injunction against the City of Visalia from moving forward on the contract with construction of the project set to start in coming weeks.

At dispute is whether the city properly awarded the contract to W.M. Lyles (WML) even though Lyles did not list the required name of equipment manufacturers on their bid. They say the city waived the requirement after the fact. In addition the suit says the city council who approved the bid 3 to 1 “ignored city staff and the city attorney in waiving the defects in WML’s bid.”

Visalia attorney Alex Peltzer said the city”did everything right” in their awarding of the lowest bid to Lyles.

There is a December 13 court hearing in front of Judge Lloyd Hicks.

Hotel Occupancy Up in September in the Tulare/Visalia area according to Smith Travel – reaching 70% compared to 67.3%  occupancy in September 2012. There was a 4% increase in rooms sold.

Let’s Eat – Pita Kabob’s New Downtown Location: The former Strubles Auto Parts building at 214 North Court is being converted by owner William Martin into an office/restaurant combo.Martin confirms he has a signed lease with Pita Kabob,the Middle Eastern favorite with two locations in town already, to open a Downtown spot.Pita Kabob owner Chafic Dada says the eatery and beer garden should open in Spring.The 3300sf restaurant will feature  a full line of craft beers.”We are really excited we can open in Downtown – the heartbeat of Visalia.”The former Struble Auto Parts started up in 1947 founded by Jim Struble who passed away recently. The business with several branches around the county operated until 2003. Much of Downtown’s old automobile stores have given way to retail/restaurants in past decades.

Downtown Visalia: OMNI-MEANS offering engineering and planning consulting services will relocate from Main St to 200 E Center at the former county court building next to TCAG likely by February says office manager Mike Winton.

The community of Coalinga is hopeful it will get a state contract that could reopen the shuttered Claremont Custody Facility as soon as February.The 570 bed jail could house perhaps that many medium security prisoners – current state inmates – if a new contract can be hammered out in coming weeks says city manager Rene Ramirez.

“They came down to tour the facility” says Ramirez and” we are talking about increasing some security items like an extra fence since they would be higher level prisoners than what we had before.”

Ramirez says even though the city does not yet have contract  they are optimistic enough to hold a job fair November 13 and 14 to attract qualified employees to work as correctional officers.

The State of California is under court order to reduce its prison population by 137% of capacity by February says Ramirez .That would mean the state would need to find new secure housing for about 8000 prisoners statewide quickly.  Four south Valley Community Correctional Facilities(CCF) are obvious candidates.

“It makes more sense to house those inmates in the state of California, instead of out of state, especially if we have empty facilities.”

Ramirez says there is also talks with local officials in Taft, Delano  and Shafter to fill shuttered dorm-style facilities in those towns  –  each about 500 beds. “They are further on in discussions with Delano and Shafter.”

Ramirez says the Claremont facility closed in 2011 after the city lost a state contract. It used to house low level prisoners and employed 90.

One estimate is that filling just one empty CCF would bring in over 70 jobs and $70 million in state funds into a local community.

Community members now have a centralized location as an option for mental health services and alcohol and other drug treatment, as the Tulare County Health & Human Services Agency opens its new Visalia Adult Integrated Clinic and Visalia Recovery Center with a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony.The site is the former Fairway Market On Tulare Ave.

The ceremony is being held from 10 a.m. to noon on Thursday, November 14 at 520 E. Tulare Avenue in Visalia.  As a part of the grand opening, tours of the new building will be conducted.

“I am proud that District 1 has been able to provide a central location that will best serve clients of the Visalia Adult Integrated Clinic and the Visalia Recovery Center,” said Allen Ishida, District One Supervisor. “We anticipate a continuation of the quality services provided by the Department of Mental Health for the residents and clients of Tulare County.”

Formerly the Fairway Market, the building has been redesigned to house mental health services and alcohol and other drug treatment staff under one roof. The new building will also house the Psychiatric Emergency Team and a National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) community team.

“Tulare County Mental Health Services is proud and grateful for the opportunity to be able to consistently provide high quality mental health and alcohol and other drug recovery services to our consumers,” said Timothy Durick, Psy.D., Director of the Department of Mental Health. “With the grand opening of the new Visalia Adult Integrated Clinic and the Recovery Center, we are now able to provide a one-stop location to better provide these high-quality services, with the added benefit of close proximity to both the Transitional Living Center (TLC) and the East Tulare Avenue Cottages (ETAC) to foster a sense of community.”

The Chair of the Mental Health Board and Director of the Woodlake Family Resource Center, Irma Rangel, L.C.S.W., had this to say: “The Tulare County Mental Health Department acknowledges challenges of accessibility and works diligently to address these barriers. This newly combined location for mental health services and alcohol and other drug treatment will significantly increase the opportunity to engage clients in a centralized location where they can more easily obtain the services that the Tulare County Department of Mental Health offers.”

The entrance to the Visalia Adult Integrated Clinic is at 520 E. Tulare Avenue, and The Recovery Center resides on the second floor of the building, utilizing a separate entrance and waiting room at 942 Santa Fe Avenue. The adult clinic office in Porterville and the north and south county mobile units will continue to serve consumers as a part of Tulare County mental health services.

The ribbon cutting event is in collaboration with the Visalia Chamber of Commerce.

Hanford City Manager Darrel Pyle says the city will be requesting several million dollars to help pay for extension of key infrastructure like sewer and water to the proposed California High Speed Rail station site about a half mile east of the city limits.

Pyle, who attended the CHSRA board meeting this week, noted that the communities of Shafter/Wasco recently got a $5 million commitment from the agency to help manage rail impacts there ” and they don’t have a station site.”

“We do” adds Pyle, now that the Authority has unanimously selected the east of Hanford alternative route at their November board meeting last week. The proposed station stop is just north of 198 and east of Hwy 43.

“We will return in a few weeks to give the Authority staff our engineer’s estimate of the costs” adds Pyle.

The authority board heard proponents of having a station stop in the Tulare/Kings region. ”We don’t want to miss the train.We don’t want to wave as it goes by” stated mayor Amy Shuklian of Visalia to the rail authority board. By 2060 more than a million people will live in the two county region says Shuklian – helping to increase ridership on the planned bullet train.

”We don’t want to miss the train.We don’t want to wave as it goes by” stated mayor Amy Shuklian of Visalia

CHSRA staffer Diana Gomez told the board that putting a station at  the interface of Hwys  98 and 43 would not amount to sprawl because it fits into Hanford’s current growth plans.it “They are already moving that way” she said. The city is processing a general plan amendment for a large Costco-based shopping center nearby.

The planned Tualre/Kings regional station has been a dot on the map  but the current discussion appears to offer more concrete and immediate plans with the City of Hanford requesting infrastructure funding. ”I  assume  travelers will be approaching the station site off Hwy 43 about on the Lacey alignment” says Pyle. The station site would also be connected to Visalia and Tulare County by the Cross Valley rail line that also serves industry in Kings County that also ties into to the main UP line.Long term term – a potential feeder line could wisk travelers from the HSR station into Downtown Visalia some expect. In addition,Hwy 198 has recently been widened to 4 lanes.

Lawsuit Update

In other news from last week in the Kings County lawsuit against CHSRA  – there was a hearing but not much news. The hearing was held in Sacramento Superior Court with Judge Michael Kenny.The judge had ruled against the CHSRA earlier this summer and this week’s hearing was to determine what remedy Judge Kenny would order. News accounts suggested he did not seem to tip his hand. He has 90 days to rule.

The CHSRA lawyer argued they will not spend any state Prop1A money on the project yet and therefore are not in violation of the judge’s earlier ruling or the assertions of their critics. Opponents are asking the judge to rescind HSR construction contracts that include the first leg between Fresno and Madera,now moving forward.

While Hanford is not part of the Kings County lawsuit over Prop 1A they are key players in the drama having opposed plans early on to allow the HSR tracks in its Downtown.That set in motion the debate over the HSR route elsewhere in Kings County. Even though they don’t wan’t high speed trains in Downtown they do appreciate the business that AMTRAK brings and realize it is likely that AMTRAK service will move to the new station site in a few years. For now the decision to relocate the service would be with Cal Trans says Pyle, although a new JPA is set to take over. The new track would speed AMTRAK trains to perhaps 100 mph between Fresno and Bakersfield long before 200mph HS trains are ready to run. Hanford wants to continue to steer passengers into its Downtown,important for civc pride. Hanford may seek more help from the authority to do this.

Tulare’s Cartmill interchange is still $7 million short of breaking ground at the key north Hwy 99 access area. But a contingent of local officials huddled with  both elected and Cal Trans reps in Sacramento in the past few weeks and were encouraged by the assurances that the California Transportation  Commission (CTC) would hear a staff  supported agenda item requesting the funding at their December or January meeting.That would allow the $37 million project to go to bid in early 2014 says Tulare city engineer Mike Whitlock.

Tulare’s factory outlet mall will no longer be the only outlet mall in the South Valley with construction of the Tejon Outlets at the Grapevine now underway.A total of 325,000 square feet of leasing space, much of which has already been committed says the developer, with more than a half-mile of frontage along Interstate 5. The promoters say 3.2 million people with high disposable incomes live within an hour’s drive. Tulare’s draw might suffer as travelers from LA come upon the  new property an hour and a half before they pass by Tulare. Also,Tulare gets visitors from Kern County residents who now will have another  choice nearby. The new Grapevine mall should open next summer. Tejon Ranch also competes with Tulare County for warehouse distribution tenants.

A dismantling company will take 3 months to scrap the former GWF power plant in Hanford with the failure of an auction of the 25 megawatt facility that burned petroleum coke for its power source. The scrapping of the facility ends a 20-plus year chapter of debate over the fuel source. The petroleum-fueled power plant in the Hanford industrial Park shut down in 2011. GWF first wanted to burn coal to open the plant but settled on petroleum coke, an oil refining by-product after area residents filed suit. Still, the fuel source is considered dirty by today’s tougher standards. Utilities who buy the power, now favor cleaner burning natural gas and renewable energy. GWF has several “peaker plants” in the area including one next door that still runs during summer months. Hopes that someone would convert the Idaho Ave facility to a cleaner fuel source never happened and now the plant will be sold off for parts. The 5.5 acres of land will then be for sale say sources.

Fewer beef eaters: USDA projects that per capita consumption of beef in 2014 to be 54 lbs –  down 4.8% from 2013 and down 1.2% from 2012. That about matches production expectations.Beef  prices remain high due the drought that affected corn prices and resulted in smaller herds.

Valley cotton growers are watching the futures market for their product spinning lower after China said they would release stockpiles they have to feed their garment industry. That would of course reduce demand for  US cotton for a while. World cotton prices are down to the 75 cent level from the mid 90s in September.

If the don’t pick our cotton, the Chinese are sure lapping up our milk.  Chinese demand for imported UHT milk is soaring. Consumption jumped from nearly 18 million lbs. in 2010 to a forecast 331 million lbs. this year, according to a new research study from the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC). Demand scenarios suggest China’s appetite for imported UHT milk could grow fourfold to more than 1.3 billion lbs. by 2020. USDEC is funded primarily by U.S. dairy farmers through the producer checkoff.
“The rapid growth of China’s UHT milk market is creating opportunities for the United States to further extend its reputation as a global supplier,” says Ross Christieson, USDEC senior vice president, market research and analysis. “The U.S. industry produces large volumes of UHT milk annually, yet we have played only a minor role in serving booming Chinese consumption to date. Our research suggests that can and should change, particularly given that Chinese buyers have expressed growing interest in U.S. supply to meet spiraling demand.”
UHT or ultra high temperature milk refers to milk heat-treated and packaged to provide a 9-12-month shelf life without refrigeration. The Chinese UHT import market was worth $76 million in 2012. In just the first six months of 2013, value topped $85 million. China is the largest packaged fluid milk importer in the world, and it is growing larger.

Tulare Galaxy Theaters will be the subject of a liquor license public hearing November 25. The 10-screen movie house wants to sell beer and wine in the current party room where a bar will be set up and patrons can buy a drink and return with it to their seat. Galaxy sells liquor at six of its locations in the West including Atascadero on the coast.

The City of Tulare will modify its General Plan after several lawsuits from environmentalists. The new, greener plan that guides the city’s growth will reduce its urban boundaries, offer a climate action plan,offer transit-oriented development and require 1 to 1 ag mitigation on annexations of farm land into the city.

Farm Credit West held its open house recently for its new regional headquarters.The new facility located at the corner of Cartmill Avenue and M Street will house 50 employees.This office combines the Visalia and Tulare Dairy Center branches with several support teams including loan documentation, leasing and strategy and risk management into a single location. In addition, the building will also serve as a regional training and meeting center for FCW.

Tulare’s Figaro’s Mexican Food will relocate to 1442 Cherry Court – the former site of Huckleberry’s restaurant that closed.

Grading for the site where the new Sunmet Juice plant will be built is underway. The new food processor near the Tulare airport at 6150 Hosfield Dr should be operating next summer – in time for the summer  fruit harvest.The Etchegaray Family of Visalia owns Sunmet Juice of Kern County, maker of fruit pulp purees used in smoothies. The company bought the 58,000 square-foot Structures Plus property near the Tulare airport on 12.7 acres earlier this year.
The juice maker got the city‘s help to expand sewer capacity in the Tulare airport area to process its product. Tulare has plenty of sewer capacity for food companies, but it was not available near the airport on the east side of Highway 99.

Fair Announces New CEO: The 24th District Agricultural Association and President Peter E. Alvitre, have announced the appointment of Pamela Fyock as the new chief executive officer and general manager of the Tulare County Fair in Tulare. According to Alvitre, Fyock will be the “architect” for the fair’s redesign. She brings an understanding of agriculture, education and fundraising, all of which the Board of Directors believes will create a great fair.

“Fyock brings with her an impressive portfolio of accomplishments to carry out this assignment,”” Alvitre said. “The new Fair Manager has more than a decade of event management experience, a passionate commitment of service to the State’s agricultural community and an impressive track record of turning a county fair into a profit-making entity.”
In her first year as chief executive officer and general manager, the Sacramento County Fair become self-supporting and attendance shot up by 40 percent, surpassing all previous records in its 77-year history.

Tulare’s Mikey V’s Wins Best Menudo Contest: Tulare’s Mikey V’s restaurant won the county’s first Menudo Cook-off a few weeks back,an event sponsored by the Tulare County League of Mexican American Women and Nuestro Tiempo magazine. Owner of Mikey V’s – Mike Vejar won the title over Taqueria Ana Maria’s of Farmersville who came in second and Taqueria El Mejor of Visalia who came in third.