May 9, 2012

Virginia Ranch Dam Project History: Explaining the Loan, Property Tax, and Bonds

On September 13, 1960, BVID residents were asked to cast their vote concerning the Virginia Ranch Dam Project (VRD) and to approve or reject entering into an agreement with the US Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) set forth in CONTRACT BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND BROWNS VALLEY IRRIGATION DISTRICT FOR A LOAN FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A SMALL RECLAMATION PROJECT(USBR 1960, Title Page). Entering into the 50 year $5,000,000 loan agreement was approved by a vote of 238 to 8. Studies conducted, prior to the public vote, considered the VRD project feasible based on property tax values, available water tolls and income from generation of electricity by Yuba River water made available by the VRD project. This was essentially a zero interest loan.

On September 20, 1960 the contract was signed that remains in effect until the final payment is made on August 1, 2012. The effective date of the repayment portion of the contract was set with the official completion of the project.

Per the contract, loan proceeds were made available for construction of VRD and Reservoir (now named Collins Lake), a tunnel, new canals, a pumping plant and rehabilitation and enlargement of existing canals primarily for the purpose of delivering water for irrigation to lands within the District and incidentally for municipal water supply therein and for making water available for generation of power.(USBR 1960, 2)... (click to continue reading)

April 19, 2012

Delivery System Coming On

Even though we are still rather damp from the recent rains, with the current warm and forecast very warm weather, BVID will be turning on the delivery system on Saturday, April 21st. That said, if rains return to the area, the irrigation system may be shut off until we again dry out and warm up.

Please water wisely. Every Drop is Precious!

March 16, 2012

Changes for the 2012 Irrigation Season

This year's prices have increased from last year (4%). This increase was necessary due to increases in District expenses ranging from energy (both PG&E and fuel) to insurance and supplies.

The 2012 rates are as follows:

In District
Administration Charge - $156.00
Unit Rate - $88.40
Redhill East Maintenance Assessment - $109.00
Acre-foot - $15.60

Out of District
Administration Charge - $156.00
Unit Rate - $190.00
In-Lieu Tax Charge - $118.00
Acre-foot - $21.63

A 5% discount will be given for pre-payment in full by April 30th


Now that the 2012 water rates are set, bills for the irrigation season will be prepared and mailed to our current customers. We expected to have all the bills in the mail by the 1st of April.

If you have any questions please call the office at 530-743-5703

January 27, 2012

2012 Water Rates Study

See the three links below for information about the 2012 Water Rates Study.

Notice Of Public Hearing (click here)

2012 Water Rate Workshop (click here)

Special Edition of Ask Flo (click here)

January 5, 2012

BVID Water On January 7th and 8th

At last night’s Board meeting, the Board decided to provide a second shot of water to the Collins Lake service area this weekend. The water will be on Saturday and Sunday (January 7th & 8th) and will be turned off Sunday evening. Please take advantage of this opportunity to fill you water storage devices (tanks and ponds) while the water is on. Please note that there are no plans in place for another shot of water prior to the beginning of the irrigation season later this spring.

January 3, 2012

Dry Winter 2012

With the extremely dry winter we are experiencing, the District released a shot of water into the District in early December. That shot of water took 6” of Lake elevation (450 Acre Feet) out of Collins Lake. If the winter remains dry, we may wish that we had that bit of water come August when temperatures are soaring towards 100 degrees.

So what to do? For now, the District will not be turning on the delivery system for another “shot” of water, but the Board will be considering the issue at the January 12th Board meeting (assuming that it has not started raining). In the mean time, if you are desperate for water, be it for animals or irrigation and you have a place to store the water via tanks or ponds, we have a short list of contractors that are willing to haul (for a fee) water to you. Please contact the District Office for contact information.

Thank you for your understanding in this matter.

Rainwater In Ditches

We are thankful for the rain that has fallen in the last few days. It has caused ditches and pipelines within the District to fill with water. As a result, some people may be getting water from their service while others do not. Be assured that all of this water is runoff from the much needed precipitation and is not the result of releases from Collins Lake.

With consistent rain, water will pool in the ditches or flow as if it is being released from Collins Lake. In the winter, ditches are set up in a way that helps prevent flooding, while still providing the added benefit of capturing some water that may be used by our customers.

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