News Release

Fresno State Awarded Half a Million Dollar Grant to Support MAGSA Farmers with Irrigation Efficiencies

NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
August 14, 2023

KERMAN, California — On July 25, 2023, the California State University, Fresno Foundation was awarded a $499,609 grant through the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Water Efficiency Technical Assistance (WETA) program to support farmers in the McMullin Area Groundwater Sustainability Agency (MAGSA).

The purpose of this grant is to support MAGSA farmers in implementing efficient irrigation and nutrition management practices, ultimately leading to water and energy savings.

The Center for Irrigation Technology (CIT) at California State University, Fresno, was the lead applicant and MAGSA was the partner applicant for the WETA grant. This partner project will involve the development of training materials, field days, educational workshops, and a variety of technical resources for MAGSA farmers on topics such as:

● Collecting and interpreting soil and water sensor data
● Regulated deficit irrigation strategies and tools
● Irrigation system maintenance
● Soil field capacity, permanent wilting point, and other information about soil-water-
plant-atmosphere relationships

This is a three-year grant program with implementation likely to begin in November 2023.

MAGSA’s goal is to help the region achieve groundwater sustainability by 2040. CIT’s expertise and partnership over the next three years will help MAGSA growers work toward this goal, increasing their efficiency by farming more with less water.

View a list of all CDFA WETA grant awardees here.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – On April 21, 2023, the McMullin Area Groundwater Sustainability Agency (MAGSA) was awarded a $2.8 million grant through the Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART Program to help fund the purchase and installation of electromagnetic flow meters with telemetry for 925 groundwater wells, along with six weather stations in the region.

“You can’t accurately manage what you don’t measure,” says MAGSA’s General Manager, Matt Hurley. “Real-time groundwater data will assist growers in their on-farm water management decisions and allow MAGSA to more effectively achieve groundwater sustainability by 2040.”

The installation of flow meters and telemetry will drastically improve water management within MAGSA and is expected to result in annual water savings of 20,508 acre-feet as a result of reduced pumping. 

MAGSA’s Precision Metering with Real-Time Remote Telemetry project was awarded alongside 83 others in 15 western states for a total of $140 million in water conservation and efficiency projects. 

Earning the grant award represents MAGSA’s determined pursuit to implement the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) with a landowner-first approach, minimizing the out-of-pocket costs associated with implementing on-farm tools for groundwater management.

The grant funding will be used to implement MAGSA’s meter and telemetry incentive program for growers who registered their wells with the agency. MAGSA growers will receive further details on the incentive program details in coming months.

Groundwater sustainability is only possible through collaboration with landowners, regional partners, and the state. MAGSA is committed to pursuing grant funding and other creative opportunities to support landowners in working toward a sustainable future for generations to come.

Cristel Tufenkjian Appointed as MAGSA Deputy General Manager

The McMullin Area Groundwater Sustainability Agency (MAGSA) Board of Directors has appointed Cristel Tufenkjian as the agency’s first Deputy General Manager. Tufenkjian will begin serving MAGSA landowners in the new role on April 3rd.  

Matt Hurley, General Manager, MAGSA

At the helm of every successful organization is a visionary leader. Matt Hurley, MAGSA’s General Manager, brings a determined focus on leading the region to sustainability under SGMA while improving the lives of the constituents the organization serves. And he does it all with a smile and cheery attitude!

“Prioritizing the interests of the growers and residents MAGSA serves is vital to our success. We are asking a lot of folks when it comes to achieving balanced levels of groundwater by 2040 under SGMA. But we try to get creative and make sure there’s value added for them too,” he said

Rather than immediately cut back on water demand, MAGSA is focused on leading growers through innovative projects that bring surface water to an area that has historically been 100% groundwater dependent. Thanks to the McMullin On-Farm Flood Capture Expansion Project, opportunities will open for growers to receive water from a canal, something new to the area.

Along with the arrival of surface water will come the opportunity to implement sustainability practices like On-Farm Recharge. The introduction of a new university-style course tailored to MAGSA growers, “OFR-University”, is launching this fall to help growers implement these groundwater recharge practices. This is just one small example of MAGSA’s dedication to add value to people living within the service area, and it’s all thanks to its people-first leader!

Randy Hopkins, Chief Strategic Officer, Principal Engineer, Provost & Pritchard

The Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) has already started implementation, thanks to water professionals like Randy Hopkins, Chief Strategic Officer and Principal Engineer at Provost & Pritchard! Randy is a visionary leader, and he’s primarily focusing on planning and developing projects to help connect MAGSA to a variety of water sources. This creates the ability to bring in surface water when it’s available.

“Sustainable water management is the key to sustainable agriculture and healthy communities,” he said.

Not only is Randy a key leader in GSP implementation, but also in executing the McMullin On-Farm Flood Capture Expansion project and the Aquaterra Water Bank.

Implementing the GSP is a huge undertaking that requires developing a significant about of infrastructure over the next few years. While challenging, it’s the most rewarding aspect of Randy’s job. Developing infrastructure means being fully dedicated to putting tools in place for MAGSA to sustainably manage water supplies for the benefit of residents, growers, and our region.

Lynn Groundwater, Senior Engineer, Provost & Pritchard

This Water Professionals Week we’re celebrating a collaborative leader, Lynn Groundwater, Senior Engineer at Provost & Pritchard! Implementing the Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) for MAGSA is no small task, but Lynn plays a key role in doing so. She helps monitor the sustainable management criteria, projects, and management actions. She’s currently helping with projects that would provide MAGSA flexibility to recharge surface water when available and construct surface water facilities as outlined in the GSP. She is an integral part of the McMullin On-Farm Flood Capture Expansion project and the Aquaterra Water Bank.

“It is rewarding to work with growers and members of the MAGSA community to collaborate on the MAGSA projects and for implementation of the GSP,” she said.

Working on a tight schedule is challenging, but it’s rewarding work to help provide the opportunity to use surface water within MAGSA.  Thank you to our hardworking engineers who are paving the road to sustainability within MAGSA!

Lindsey Sciacca, Assistant Engineer, Provost & Pritchard

Behind every basin, every sustainability goal, and groundwater conservation effort is an engineer who dedicates time and lots of math to make it come to life! This Water Professionals Week we’d like to give a shoutout to Lindsey Sciacca, Assistant Engineer at Provost & Pritchard! He is an assistant project manager and project engineer at Provost & Pritchard for the McMullin On-Farm Flood Capture Expansion Project.

“It takes an entire team to succeed in the work we do for the McMullin Expansion project and I wouldn’t be able to be nearly as successful in my own work without the support of the rest of the team,” he said.

As an assistant project manager and project engineer, he is responsible for running hydraulic calculations, working on drawings, and coordinating with several other engineers, manufacturers, and utility companies.

Lindsey is a determined leader and keeps track of project schedules so that sustainability goals are met in a timely manner.

The McMullin On-Farm Flood Capture Expansion Project is the largest and most involved project he has worked on thus far, and the teamwork behind it keeps the ball rolling. This project could not be done without every hand on board!

In response to extreme and continued drought, Governor Newsom signed Executive Order N-7-22 on March 28, 2022. The directive outlines orders for statewide response to drought and water shortages, including a requirement that no well permits may be approved by permitting agencies until first approved by the Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) managing the area where the well is proposed. Read a memorandum from MAGSA’s General Manager on Executive Order N-7-22 below:

The seven GSAs in the Kings Subbasin, including MAGSA, are working quickly with the County of Fresno to respond to the order and develop a streamlined process for well approvals to avoid permit delays for landowners. When a new permit application comes in, the County will forward the application along with a simple PDF form for the GSA to check off and sign for approval. MAGSA is committed to reviewing permit applications and signing off as quickly as possible to avoid delays for our landowners as we enter summer irrigation months.

Permits requiring GSA approval include any new wells producing greater than two acre-feet annually, and any alterations to existing wells that require a permit. Permits for domestic wells, considered “de minimus”, will not require GSA approval.

It is not expected that this process will cause delay or prohibition of new wells for MAGSA landowners. MAGSA is doing everything it can to implement the executive order in a way that causes minimal to no interruption to the landowners it serves.

If you have questions or concerns regarding Executive Order N-7-22, contact General Manager Matt Hurley at mhurley@mcmullinarea.org or 559-515-3339.

KERMAN, Calif. – The McMullin Area Groundwater Sustainability Agency (MAGSA) is joining GSAs statewide to bring awareness to groundwater’s importance this Groundwater Awareness Week (GWAW) from March 6-12, 2022. GWAW was established in 1999 by the National Ground Water Association and The Groundwater Foundation to promote responsible groundwater management and celebrate local groundwater efforts across the country.  

Groundwater accounts for up to 60 percent of California’s water supply during dry conditions. As we enter a third dry year, following the second driest year on record, understanding groundwater conditions, and managing groundwater has never been more crucial. Groundwater Sustainability Agencies like MAGSA have been tasked with implementing the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) at a local level. MAGSA is working hand in hand with landowners to make changes that will lead to long-term sustainability.  

“Bringing groundwater to sustainable levels is not a job one grower or agency can tackle alone,” says MAGSA’s General Manager, Matt Hurley. “Our landowners are paving the way for a vibrant future through their commitment to collaborative and innovative solutions.”

This year, MAGSA’s priorities are to 1) better understand groundwater conditions in the GSA through collection of accurate data, and 2) increase groundwater supply through recharge projects and education on innovative techniques to conserve and store water. To equip landowners with more specific and accurate groundwater information, MAGSA has implemented a successful well registration program and is gearing up to roll out a well metering program. MAGSA is also committed to increasing groundwater supply in the region through the McMullin On-Farm Flood Capture Expansion Project and Aquaterra Water Bank while providing educational resources teaching landowners how to implement practices like On-Farm Recharge themselves.

Through accurate data, recharge projects, education, and collaboration with MAGSA landowners and regional partners, we will secure a sustainable groundwater supply for generations to come.

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For media inquiries, contact Matt Hurley at: mhurley@mcmullinarea.org.

Groundwater Awareness Week: Helpful Resources

• Educational groundwater video
• Interactive groundwater StoryMap
• California Department of Water Resources’ SGMA website