“It’s almost like you live in Fairyland,” said Steve Knell last Thursday in a meeting in the Oakdale Irrigation District (OID) boardroom. Knell is the district’s General Manager. He was responding to repeated queries from farmer Bob Frobose about OID’s apparent willingness to deliver water to Trinitas Partners while cutting back allotments for farmers with more senior water rights. Trinitas Partners, a consortium of investors led by three Bay Area […]
Search Results for: OID
Our Road(s) to the Future
Looking at the Valley today provides insights into what Stanislaus County may look like in 30 years. New technology and unpredictable events may drastically alter the future of the community. However, absent major changes in direction, the future is easy to predict. In Stanislaus County, the 2015 mantra of politicians and business leaders is to build roads that slice through farm land. Road builders and urban developers make money when […]
Can CEQA Save Tulloch Lake?
In 2011, we posted a review of some of the most successful applications of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in the northern San Joaquin Valley. These cases show that CEQA can be an effective planning tool in our region. Unfortunately, because CEQA almost always involves an understanding of environmental law, attorneys’ fees have too often put CEQA review out of the reach of the public citizens it was intended […]
Oakdale Water Scheme Hits CEQA Hurdle: Part I
Only a few days ago, it seemed as if the Oakdale Irrigation District’s (OID) “On Farm Conservation Funding Program” was likely to be instituted as early as this year. Though it features a controversial fallowing element, criticism of the program has been muted by a well-orchestrated publicity campaign conducted through press releases produced by former Modesto Bee editor Dave Lyghtle, who now works for Marcia Hermann Design. The Oakdale Irrigation […]
Route 43: Railroad to Prosperity?
The first leg of the California High Speed Rail project will be located close to a long segment of California State Route 43. A look at the area reveals an interesting history with an uncertain future. Route 43’s north end originates at its junction with State Route 99 in the farm town of Selma, about a dozen miles south of Fresno. Parallel to the Santa Fe Railroad right of way, […]
The Water Manager’s Grand Plan
The regional water summit in Modesto on January 16 had its share of high moments, but one of the most revealing came from Oakdale Irrigation District (OID) General Manager Steve Knell. Knell has been under pressure from local farmers and their supporters to keep OID water local. OID has a long history of water sales outside the region and its Board of Directors approved a proposed water sale to Westlands […]
“Fallow” Me to the Dust Bowl?
California is entering a fourth year of drought. Water tables and storage are near historic lows. Serving northeast Stanislaus County, the Oakdale Irrigation District (OID) is about the only water provider in the state claiming to have surplus supplies. Thinking that more money can be made selling water outside the district than locally, OID management and Board of Directors are anxious to sell water. Proposition 218 On November 5th, 1996, […]
How to Sell Your Water Sale
“It’s not a story,” said Dave Lyghtle when I told him I was working on an article about his employment by the Oakdale Irrigation District (OID) at the OID Board meeting last week. Lyghtle is Public Relations Director for Marcia Hermann Design of Modesto. According to the agency’s website, Lyghtle believes, “an effective public relations strategy is a valuable component of building and maintaining any organization’s brand and reputation.” In […]
Do MID Rates Affect Jobs and Revenue?
Immediately upon proposing an increase in power rates, the Modesto Irrigation District (MID) reignited an ongoing debate about inequities in power and water rates for its customers. A closer look at the rate structures suggests that the alleged inequities have actually benefitted the entire area. Critics of the electric rates complain that fifteen area companies pay lower rates than other customers. The big question is whether any of those companies […]
Fire Sale on Water?
Despite little interest thus far in a fallowing program designed to make water available for sales next year, Oakdale Irrigation District (OID) will pursue plans to sell water to Westlands Water District. Though OID General Manager Steve Knell has been under increasing pressure to keep OID water local, his Board of Directors continues to back his strategy of selling “surplus” water when available. Knell and OID attorney Tim O’Laughlin said […]