Johnny Amaral, a veteran of California water politics, was named as Friant Water Authority’s new chief executive officer at its Jan. 22 meeting. His appointment is effective immediately.

Amaral, a native of Tulare, has worked at Friant since 2019, first as chief of external affairs, and then as chief operating officer.

“I am looking forward to this next challenge,” Amaral told the board. “I promise I will not let you down. We have a lot of work ahead of us and we’re up for it.”

Amaral was one of six applicants for the position.

Contract in Negotiations

It’s not yet known what his pay and benefits will be as his contract is still being negotiated, according to Amaral. It’s expected to be brought back to Friant’s board at its Feb. 19 meeting.

According to Transparent California, which tracks public employee pay, Amaral’s predecessor, Jason Phillips, earned $493,747 in pay and $82,675 in benefits for a total compensation package of $576,423 in 2024, the most recent year that information was available.

Phillips resigned in November after 10 years as Friant’s executive director after moving to Arizona.

Friant Water Authority director Matt Leider, who represents Tea Pot Dome Water District, said Amaral is “the right man at the right time for the right job.”

“He was the most qualified of the applicants we interviewed,” he said. “He has the best understanding of all the nuance that is California water, Friant water and Bureau of Reclamation operations.”

Leider said the board is looking to Amaral to help unify the Friant family.

“We need to mend the fences where’s there’s holes and gaps, and re-install unity as one Friant,” Leider said.

“I am looking forward to settling lawsuits, and putting to bed (groundwater sustainability agency) business and do what we need to do to protect our water supply and our canal.”

He referred to four lawsuits filed in the past two years, some that pitted Friant’s own contractors against the authority.

Friant Trying to Climb Out of Legal Sinkhole

The legal morass started when Friant sued the Eastern Tule Groundwater Sustainability Agency for breach of contract.

Friant alleged the board of Eastern Tule had agreed to help pay to rebuild a section of the Friant-Kern Canal that had sunk along 33 miles due to excessive groundwater pumping by farmers in Eastern Tule’s boundaries.

However, according to Friant, Eastern Tule’s board of directors – who were also directors of several Friant contractor districts –  established lax policies that did not generate the money Friant had anticipated and allowed farmers to continue over pumping.

That left Friant with a funding shortfall in its obligation to repay the federal government for its help to rebuild a 10-mile section of the sagging canal.

So, Friant required four of its contractor districts to pony up about $90 million to fill that gap. One district, Tea Pot Dome, settled with Friant.

But three of the districts are still suing Friant claiming the payment demand is extortion because directors of those districts also had held seats on Eastern Tule’s board.

Spatter from the brouhaha resulted in Friant having to reign in what had become a lavish, three-day annual board retreat held in California’s wine country on the central coast amid claims of Brown Act violations.

Since then, the Tule subbasin was placed on probation by the state Water Resources Control Board for lacking a groundwater plan that would protect domestic wells and stem rampant subsidence.

And the Eastern Tule GSA imploded, with districts breaking off to form their own GSAs. It ceased operations in December.

‘Light at the End of the Tunnel’

Leider said he sees “light at the end of the tunnel” for the lawsuits.

“The fact that people are talking is a big step, but everybody’s still got to agree,” he said.

Steve Kisling, Saucelito Irrigation District board president, spoke to SJV Water as he left the Friant board meeting, saying the time is right for new Friant leadership.

“This is an opportunity to generate consensus and unity among districts and that’s what I’m hoping for,” he said.

Amaral said wrapping up litigation is one of many issues facing Friant. But he is also looking to maintain Friant’s “core team” of water operators, many of whom hold expert knowledge in their fields.

“That is one imprint I’ve tried to leave on the Friant operations and maintenance team is that we are a customer-based organization. We serve the districts,” Amaral said.

Amaral also said he is looking forward to leveraging his previous career experiences to Friant’s benefit. He worked as a deputy general manager at Westlands Water District for four years and as a chief of staff for former Rep. Devin Nunes for 13 years.

“On a policy front, we will remain as engaged if not more so on any issues that will impact our water supply, good or bad,” he said. “We have to make sure our supply is protected.”

Other Friant Leadership Changes

Amaral’s hiring comes on the cusp of other recent changes at Friant, including hiring a new attorney, Julie Gantenbein, after longtime attorney Don Davis resigned. The board also moved its monthly board meetings from Visalia to its Lindsay headquarters, though the board will vote in February on a new location or to initiate a remodel of its boardroom in Lindsay.

Amaral lives in Exeter with his wife, Stephanie. They have two adult children.

Friant is composed of 32 contractors, which includes water and irrigation districts and municipalities such as Fresno and Lindsay.

It delivers water to more than 15,000 farms across one million acres along the San Joaquin Valley’s eastside.

It also maintains Friant Dam at Millerton Lake, the 152-mile Friant-Kern Canal and the 36-mile Madera Canal on behalf of the Bureau of Reclamation as part of the Central Valley Project.

About the Reporter

SJV Water Reporter Lisa McEwen grew up in Tulare County. She has reported on agriculture and other issues for a wide variety of publications, including, Ag Alert, Visalia Times-Delta, the Fresno Bee and the Tulare and Kings counties farm bureau publications.

About SJV Water

SJV Water is an independent, nonprofit news site covering water in the San Joaquin Valley, www.sjvwater.org. Email us at sjvwater@sjvwater.org