The Trouble With Good Intentions And Action After It Is Too Late
By: Doug Busselman, Executive Vice President
To be honest this is not my first attempt at writing this post. Probably for lots of reasons the delete key and starting over later have been the better approach to take.
The subject involves the repair and return to normal operations of the Truckee Canal, the 31 mile ditch that delivers the authorized water diversions from the Truckee River to the Newlands Irrigation Project. Based on an excerpt their March 2008 report, the “canal was designed and constructed by Reclamation (Bureau of Reclamation) in 1903.”
This same report, entitled “Design, Estimating and Construction Review – Truckee Canal Issue Evaluation” shares of what got us to where we are by stating:
The nature of my call to the Bureau of Reclamation and follow-up calls to others involved in the situation, was to find out where things stand in getting the Canal fixed and fully operational again. Remember the date of the break was January 5, 2008 – my phone calls were made on September 2nd, 2010.
Since the break, there was action taken to plug the hole and return to some flow down the canal – albeit a fraction of what the system is authorized to receive from the Truckee River – but, some. Although farmers in the Newlands project didn’t receive their full share of water for the 2008 irrigation season, because of the break – the 2009 and 2010 irrigation seasons have benefited from favorable conditions that allowed for full delivery of the water they own the right to use. Not because of the working condition of the still not totally fixed Truckee Canal, but because of the amount and way water came down the Carson River.
From what I can determine, thanks to special funding from an earmark appropriations, the Bureau of Reclamation has been able to work on a study relating to fixing the canal. The study is described as a planning study, which could be completed in another year. This phase will then lead to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process which offers public consideration for the best possible options for rehab (if any) to decide what might be done to fix the canal. Experience shows that this NEPA process isn’t known for speedy delivery of decisions (although it does seem that when the BOR is pre-ordained to arrive at a pre-determined conclusion – as in the Walker River project – they only take a couple of years and then don’t actually make a final decision.) (But, I digress and could end up having to hit the delete button again, if I don’t get back on track…)
After completing the NEPA decision phase it’s only a matter of finding the money. This might be in the form of a gift from Washington, D.C. (highly unlikely unless an election this November fixes one of the biggest problems the system has been suffering from) or (and most likely) a funding process is determined which provides the work to be done and is paid for by the water right owners in the Newlands Project.
All in all, it will only require another three or five years of being lucky, to avoid the possible shortage of water caused by the bureaucracy’s timely actions to fix a canal (which doesn’t seem to be something that they really want to fix anyway).
In the conversation that I had with BOR officials to learn where things stood, I was assured that it is not the intention of the agency to shortchange anyone from getting their full amount of water (that’s the good intentions concept), but they have to go about this the right way and in a responsible fashion. Imagine, a government agency being frugal with taxpayer money – except when it involves stimulus dollars.
As an organization that is directed by member policy, the official point of view that we have is that the water right owners get their full allocation of water, delivered to their fields in accordance to existing court decrees and availability of water. As long as they continue to be lucky with the conditions of weather and system operations – there isn’t a problem to be dealt with.
Unfortunately, dealing with the problem (and timelines) of the process of fixing a canal could easily result in luck running out and water right owners being short-changed because of the manner in which things weren’t done – then it gets to the “too late” (which is really the problem that shouldn’t have to be encountered).
To be honest this is not my first attempt at writing this post. Probably for lots of reasons the delete key and starting over later have been the better approach to take.
The subject involves the repair and return to normal operations of the Truckee Canal, the 31 mile ditch that delivers the authorized water diversions from the Truckee River to the Newlands Irrigation Project. Based on an excerpt their March 2008 report, the “canal was designed and constructed by Reclamation (Bureau of Reclamation) in 1903.”
This same report, entitled “Design, Estimating and Construction Review – Truckee Canal Issue Evaluation” shares of what got us to where we are by stating:
“At approximately 4:00 a.m. on January 5, 2008, a small section of the Canal failed, diverting a substantial amount of water in the City of Fernley, Nevada. Five Hundred and ninety (590) homes were flooded, about 138 with moderate to severe damage. No fatalities occurred.”
The nature of my call to the Bureau of Reclamation and follow-up calls to others involved in the situation, was to find out where things stand in getting the Canal fixed and fully operational again. Remember the date of the break was January 5, 2008 – my phone calls were made on September 2nd, 2010.
Since the break, there was action taken to plug the hole and return to some flow down the canal – albeit a fraction of what the system is authorized to receive from the Truckee River – but, some. Although farmers in the Newlands project didn’t receive their full share of water for the 2008 irrigation season, because of the break – the 2009 and 2010 irrigation seasons have benefited from favorable conditions that allowed for full delivery of the water they own the right to use. Not because of the working condition of the still not totally fixed Truckee Canal, but because of the amount and way water came down the Carson River.
From what I can determine, thanks to special funding from an earmark appropriations, the Bureau of Reclamation has been able to work on a study relating to fixing the canal. The study is described as a planning study, which could be completed in another year. This phase will then lead to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process which offers public consideration for the best possible options for rehab (if any) to decide what might be done to fix the canal. Experience shows that this NEPA process isn’t known for speedy delivery of decisions (although it does seem that when the BOR is pre-ordained to arrive at a pre-determined conclusion – as in the Walker River project – they only take a couple of years and then don’t actually make a final decision.) (But, I digress and could end up having to hit the delete button again, if I don’t get back on track…)
After completing the NEPA decision phase it’s only a matter of finding the money. This might be in the form of a gift from Washington, D.C. (highly unlikely unless an election this November fixes one of the biggest problems the system has been suffering from) or (and most likely) a funding process is determined which provides the work to be done and is paid for by the water right owners in the Newlands Project.
All in all, it will only require another three or five years of being lucky, to avoid the possible shortage of water caused by the bureaucracy’s timely actions to fix a canal (which doesn’t seem to be something that they really want to fix anyway).
In the conversation that I had with BOR officials to learn where things stood, I was assured that it is not the intention of the agency to shortchange anyone from getting their full amount of water (that’s the good intentions concept), but they have to go about this the right way and in a responsible fashion. Imagine, a government agency being frugal with taxpayer money – except when it involves stimulus dollars.
As an organization that is directed by member policy, the official point of view that we have is that the water right owners get their full allocation of water, delivered to their fields in accordance to existing court decrees and availability of water. As long as they continue to be lucky with the conditions of weather and system operations – there isn’t a problem to be dealt with.
Unfortunately, dealing with the problem (and timelines) of the process of fixing a canal could easily result in luck running out and water right owners being short-changed because of the manner in which things weren’t done – then it gets to the “too late” (which is really the problem that shouldn’t have to be encountered).
Posted by Doug Busselman at 9/2/2010 3:23 PM 
Categories: Water
Tags: Nevada Truckee Canal Newlands Irrigation Project Bureau of Reclamation
Categories: Water
Tags: Nevada Truckee Canal Newlands Irrigation Project Bureau of Reclamation
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