Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Clovis Secures Its Future Growth With FID Water Deals
David Website Replacement
By David Taub, Senior Reporter
Published 6 years ago on
July 16, 2019

Share

The Clovis City Council has approved landmark water deals with the Fresno Irrigation District that officials say will secure the city’s growth for decades to come.

“I think steps like this benefit both our agencies. It’s really the future of water in this state … they will be knocking on FID’s door tomorrow, other people trying to get this deal.” — Clovis City Manager Luke Serpa
According to the Clovis General Plan, the city expects 280,000 residents in 2083 — 2.5 times its 110,000 population. Plans call for Clovis to grow northeast and southeast.
The deals approved Monday on a 4-0 vote, with Mayor Drew Bessinger absent, took nearly 18 months to negotiate.
None of the people attending the meeting expressed opposition to the contracts.
“This is a bit of a monumental decision you guys just made here,” City Manager Luke Serpa told the council right after the vote. “This is the first step of SGMA compliance and it’s important we all recognize this is a very cooperative effort.
“We have not let this discussion turn into an urban versus ag discussion. It is a regional discussion. I think steps like this benefit both our agencies. It’s really the future of water in this state … they will be knocking on FID’s door tomorrow, other people trying to get this deal.”
SGMA, or the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, is a state law passed in 2014 that requires the sustainable management of groundwater supplies.
Clovis officials anticipate that some of the new water will be used to recharge the system, meaning the city can store it in basins, thus allowing it to seep into the aquifer.

Two Water Deals

The first deal expands an arrangement between Clovis and FID that has been in place in 1972. It will increase the city’s share of FID’s water from the Kings River from 6.12% to 7.12%. The increase would come out of land annexed into the city.
The increased share translates to approximately 4,500 acre-feet annually, bringing the city’s supply from FID to 32,000 acre-feet a year. The agreement runs through June 2045.
An average California household uses a half-acre foot a year.
The second deal — called a Firm Water Supply agreement — will gradually increase to 7,000 acre-feet a year through 2045, then provide that amount in perpetuity.
With the FID deals in place, Clovis has six main sources of water as it grows:

Source Acre feet per year
FID Conveyance agreement 32,000
FID Firm Water Supply agreement 7,000
Waldron Pond banking facility 9,000
Jameson-Boswell banking facility 4,500
Garfield Water District 1,170
International Water District 600

 
While the amount of water in the main agreement could vary based on water availability (wet years/dry years), the “firm” water supply is as the name suggests — a guaranteed amount of water per year no matter what.
By state law, FID controls and distributes water from the Kings River to clients, all in Fresno County — including the cities of Clovis and Fresno.

Too Good of a Deal?

Clovis Mayor Bob Whalen
“Because we’ve been so well prepared in the city of Clovis, they are going to look at us as people who are privileged because we planned well. Therefore, because we are privileged, they are going to want to take water from us and give it to those people who did not plan well, which they have a tendency to do.” — Councilman Bob Whalen
Councilman Bob Whalen expressed concern that the deal may be too good. He speculated that the state might interfere with it.
“The state of California intervenes too frequently in what we do locally. They tell us what we can and cannot do. And that’s really frustrating for us,” Whalen said.
He’s worried that by securing more water for the future, the state may come in and take it, perhaps during an extended drought.
“Because we’ve been so well prepared in the city of Clovis, they are going to look at us as people who are privileged because we planned well. Therefore, because we are privileged, they are going to want to take water from us and give it to those people who did not plan well, which they have a tendency to do,” Whalen said.
Nevertheless, Whalen said Clovis should continue to plan for the future.

Paying for the New Water

Paul Armendariz, assistant public utilities director for Clovis, said the new agreements won’t have an immediate effect on residents’ water rates.
However, Clovis will pay $5,000 an acre-foot to develop the firm water supply. The city will budget $35 million for the water in a 25-year period starting in 2020. Public utilities staff said it will require a $5 million investment at the start, which can be covered with available water enterprise funds.
Then the city will pay $1.5 million a year from 2021-2030. After that, the payment drops to $1 million a year through 2045.
Illustrating how the arrangement works: “The payments and allocations are accumulative such that by 2030, the city will have paid $20 million for access to 4,000 acre-feet (annually) of firm water supply,” states the city’s staff report.
“Between 2035 and 2045, the city will schedule annual payments of $1 million and receive (an increase of) 200 acre-feet allocations accordingly, such as that by 2045, the city will have paid a total of $35 million for 7,000 acre-feet of (annual) firm water supply.”
Said Serpa: “This may seem expensive, but it is an equitable deal for water. It will never be this inexpensive again. … It is a great deal for both agencies.”
Builders will bear $30 million of the costs via a water impact fee for developing the firm water supply. They, in turn, will pass those costs to new home buyers.
However, the size of the water impact fee is unresolved. The city expects to talk with the development community about the fee in the coming months.
City officials said the water agreements are exempt from CEQA, the state law requiring environmental review.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Tulare Man Sentenced to State Prison for DUI Crash That Injured Two Women

DON'T MISS

Judge Partly Blocks Trump Order Seeking to Overhaul US Elections

DON'T MISS

Two From Search Group That Uncovered Mexico’s ‘Ranch of Horror’ Killed

DON'T MISS

US Warns States They Could Lose Transportation Funding Over Immigration, DEI Policies

DON'T MISS

Don’t Miss Out! Tower District’s Porchfest Festival Is Saturday

DON'T MISS

Shooter in 2022 Chicago-Area Parade Massacre Sentenced to Life in Prison

DON'T MISS

Fresno Stabbing Leaves Son Dead, Father Charged With Murder

DON'T MISS

Trump Asks Supreme Court to Reinstate Transgender Military Ban, for Now

DON'T MISS

California Judge Blocks Trump’s Bid to Cut Funds to ‘Sanctuary’ Cities

DON'T MISS

Town Hall on Trump’s First 100 Days Will Air Next Week

UP NEXT

Fresno Stabbing Leaves Son Dead, Father Charged With Murder

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Jonathan Scott Riester

UP NEXT

Chicago Bears Great Steve McMichael Dies at 67 After Battle With ALS

UP NEXT

Long Wait Is Over for Cam Ward, Travis Hunter and Other Draft Prospects Joining the NFL

UP NEXT

Golden State’s Jimmy Butler Injured in Game 2 Loss, His Status for Game 3 Unknown

UP NEXT

Jalen Green Makes Eight 3s to Help Rockets Even Series With Warriors

UP NEXT

18-Year-Old Dies After Shooting Outside Clovis Restaurant

UP NEXT

Five Arrested in Fresno County Robbery Spree. Some Linked to Venezuelan Gang

UP NEXT

Artfully Staged for Takeoff: Fresno Airport Expansion Nears Finish

UP NEXT

US Justice Department Directs Investigations Over Gender-Affirming Care

David Taub,
Senior Reporter
Curiosity drives David Taub. The award-winning journalist might be shy, but feels mighty with a recorder in his hand. He doesn't see it his job to "hold public officials accountable," but does see it to provide readers (and voters) the information needed to make intelligent choices. Taub has been honored with several writing awards from the California News Publishers Association. He's just happy to have his stories read. Joining GV Wire in 2016, Taub covers politics, government and elections, mainly in the Fresno/Clovis area. He also writes columns about local eateries (Appetite for Fresno), pro wrestling (Off the Bottom Rope), and media (Media Man). Prior to joining the online news source, Taub worked as a radio producer for KMJ and PowerTalk 96.7 in Fresno. He also worked as an assignment editor for KCOY-TV in Santa Maria, California, and KSEE-TV in Fresno. He has also worked behind the scenes for several sports broadcasts, including the NCAA basketball tournament, and the Super Bowl. When not spending time with his family, Taub loves to officially score Fresno Grizzlies games. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Taub is a die-hard Giants and 49ers fan. He graduated from the University of Michigan with dual degrees in communications and political science. Go Blue! You can contact David at 559-492-4037 or at Send an Email

US Warns States They Could Lose Transportation Funding Over Immigration, DEI Policies

2 hours ago

Don’t Miss Out! Tower District’s Porchfest Festival Is Saturday

2 hours ago

Shooter in 2022 Chicago-Area Parade Massacre Sentenced to Life in Prison

2 hours ago

Fresno Stabbing Leaves Son Dead, Father Charged With Murder

2 hours ago

Trump Asks Supreme Court to Reinstate Transgender Military Ban, for Now

3 hours ago

California Judge Blocks Trump’s Bid to Cut Funds to ‘Sanctuary’ Cities

3 hours ago

Town Hall on Trump’s First 100 Days Will Air Next Week

3 hours ago

Kristi Noem’s Handbag Was Snatched From Beneath Her Chair, DHS Says

3 hours ago

Interior Department to Fast-Track Oil, Gas and Mining Projects

4 hours ago

Survey: Californians Blame Utility Company Spending, Profits for High Electricity Rates

4 hours ago

Tulare Man Sentenced to State Prison for DUI Crash That Injured Two Women

A Tulare man was sentenced Wednesday to four years and four months in state prison for a high-speed DUI crash that seriously injured two wom...

1 hour ago

Maxwell Barrios, 28, of Tulare, was sentenced to over four years in state prison on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, for a 2023 DUI crash that seriously injured two women, including one who required a partial arm amputation. (Tulare County DA)
1 hour ago

Tulare Man Sentenced to State Prison for DUI Crash That Injured Two Women

People vote in the 2024 U.S. presidential election on Election Day in Columbus, Ohio, U.S., November 5, 2024. (REUTERS/Megan Jelinger/File Photo)
1 hour ago

Judge Partly Blocks Trump Order Seeking to Overhaul US Elections

Forensic technicians stand at a cordoned area during a media tour by Jalisco's Attorney General Office at Izaguirre Ranch, which activists have called a cartel-run "extermination camp," in Teuchitlan, Jalisco state, Mexico March 20, 2025. (REUTERS/Ivan Arias/File Photo)
2 hours ago

Two From Search Group That Uncovered Mexico’s ‘Ranch of Horror’ Killed

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks to reporters about Wednesday's deadly midair collision between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and American Eagle flight 5342 near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 30, 2025. (REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo)
2 hours ago

US Warns States They Could Lose Transportation Funding Over Immigration, DEI Policies

2 hours ago

Don’t Miss Out! Tower District’s Porchfest Festival Is Saturday

Robert E. Crimo III. arrives for his trial in Judge Victoria A. Rossetti’s courtroom in Waukegan, Illinois, U.S., March 3, 2025. (Nam Y. Huh/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo)
2 hours ago

Shooter in 2022 Chicago-Area Parade Massacre Sentenced to Life in Prison

Bryan Blackman (right), 52, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of murder after admitting to fatally stabbing his son, Javoeea Blackman, 25, during a disturbance outside a Fresno apartment on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (Fresno PD)
2 hours ago

Fresno Stabbing Leaves Son Dead, Father Charged With Murder

3 hours ago

Trump Asks Supreme Court to Reinstate Transgender Military Ban, for Now

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend