Apr. 2—The Yuba Water Agency Board of Directors unanimously approved to submit a water-right change petition to the State Water Resources Control Board on Tuesday in order to extend water transfer agreements under the Lower Yuba River Accord for an additional 25 years.
First established in 2008 after decades of legal battles, the Yuba River Accord is a landmark multi-agency agreement. It has guided water usage, purchases, and instream flow requirements since its inception. However, Accord water transfers will expire on Dec. 31, 2025, and the Agency is seeking an extension for the state’s approval.
The Accord has been praised over the years for its impact on improved conditions for fish like salmon and steelhead, flood risk reduction, water rights protections for farmers and ranchers, and providing a reliable water supply for cities and farms throughout California.
With these goals in mind, the Accord is composed of three primary agreements: the fisheries agreement, the conjunctive use agreement, and the water use agreement. The Yuba River Accord’s fisheries agreement establishes significantly higher streamflow requirements during specific times of the year and mandates a collective monitoring and evaluation program for the lower Yuba River and its fisheries, the Agency said.
It continues to protect salmon and steelhead habitats throughout this portion of the river while providing an average of 100,000 acre-feet of water for fish and wildlife in the Bay-Delta each year.
The conjunctive use agreement enables Yuba Water Agency’s member units, along with their land and well owners, to participate in the Groundwater Substitution Water Transfer Program, allowing irrigation districts to pump groundwater as a substitute supply for the Agency’s surface water deliveries in dry years. This subsequently protects the river during dry years, and groundwater basins are resupplied during wet years, the Agency said.
Water transfers are a crucial aspect of the Accord. The water purchase agreement with the Department of Water Resources allows Yuba Water Agency to sell water that is already being released to other water agencies in the state.
“The Lower Yuba River Accord is a collaborative, multi-party, science-based agreement that ensures a holistic approach to water management on the Yuba River. The agreement provides real, tangible benefits for fish in the form of higher, more protective instream flows for salmon and steelhead, plus improved habitat. It also helps safeguard water supply here in Yuba County and, sometimes, for our downstream neighbors who may need a bit more supplies in some years,” Yuba Water Agency Communications Manager DeDe Cordell told the Appeal.
Accord transfers have been a significant revenue source for the Agency, which has supported many public benefits to Yuba County, including the Agency’s work in obtaining a new Federal Power Act license for the Yuba River.
“Under the Yuba Accord, water released in the Yuba River for the benefit of the fish can potentially be sold to others in the state who need it, but only after it has already served its intended environmental benefits in the lower Yuba River. Any revenue earned from those water transfers goes right back into projects that benefit Yuba County, primarily flood risk reduction projects,” Cordell said.
According to the Agency, there would be no substantial changes to the transfer program if its petition is approved by the State Water Control Board, but an extension to the Accord beyond 2025 will require an environmental analysis to address the impact of a water transfer extension.
“There are no substantial changes to the Yuba Accord water transfer program being proposed by Yuba Water. To reiterate, the new agreements are still being finalized. Today’s board action is just the first step in a larger, ongoing process to renew the Yuba Accord water transfer program,” Cordell said.
By filing the water-right petition, Yuba Water Agency is asking the state to approve the Accord’s transfer term through 2050 and points of rediversion at which buyers divert water sold from the Accord. Those points include the south Delta pumps under the Central Valley Project and State Water Project, East Bay Municipal Utility District’s Freeport diversion just south of Sacramento, and Contra Costa Water District’s diversions in the Delta.
According to the petition, the water transfer program is operated through a water purchase agreement between Yuba Water Agency and the Department of Water Resources, the conjunctive use agreement, and a water transfer option agreement between the agency, East Bay Municipal Utility District and the Contra Costa Water District. The fisheries agreement will remain in effect until the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issues a new long-term license for the Yuba River Development Project, the petition said.
Should the petition be denied, Cordell said that Yuba Water Agency will continue to work with the state to meet regulatory requirements.
“It is hard to overstate just how important the Lower Yuba River Accord has been to Yuba County — to our economy, to our ability to reduce flood risk and to the environment. Everyone involved came to the table focused on solutions. As a result, everyone gave a little, and everyone got a little. There was a need to provide more water for the fish, and because we worked together and thought ‘out of the box,’ we were able to give more water to the fish, provide water security for our farmers and ranchers, bring more money into the community to invest in improved levees to reduce flood risk, which in turn, sparks more business development and creates more jobs,” Yuba Water Agency General Manager Willie Whittlesey said.
NYWD emergency repairs
Also on Tuesday, the Yuba Water Agency Board of Directors unanimously approved an $865,410 grant for the North Yuba Water District to make emergency repairs on its water delivery system ahead of irrigation season.
Officials expect to save two cubic feet of water per second upon completion, which will help ensure all of the district’s customers receive their expected water deliveries this year.
“One of our core missions is water supply reliability, and I think this is a fine way to help advance that mission while supporting our local water district partners and foothill residents,” Yuba Water Agency Board Chairman and Yuba County District 5 Supervisor Jon Messick said in a statement.
In the coming weeks, district staff will make repairs on five critical areas of a canal system that delivers water for residential and agricultural use in the foothills. Funds will also support a study to identify additional actions needed to maintain the district’s water delivery infrastructure long-term.
According to officials, this latest grant builds upon improvements that are already underway, including work funded by a prior grant to line 9,500 feet of irrigation canals and significantly reduce leaks and water loss in the North Yuba Water District.
“This is a critical repair needed to safeguard water deliveries for about 110 of our current irrigation customers in Dobbins and Oregon House,” North Yuba Water District General Manager Leonna Harris said in a statement. “Thanks to Yuba Water’s support, we’ve accomplished more as a district in the last year than in the last few decades. In the future, we plan to continue improvements to increase water savings and reliability even more for our customers.”
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