Meetings set to describe proposed new watermaster district

» December 4, 2007 «

A cost-effective, local alternative for protecting and enforcing water rights in five Shasta County watersheds will be described at a series of meetings scheduled this month.

The meetings, sponsored by the Shasta County Farm Bureau, will allow water rights holders on Hat, Burney, Digger, North Cow and North Fork Cottonwood creeks to learn about plans to begin a local watermaster district. If local water rights holders and local courts approve the concept, the district would monitor water rights and resolve disputes, taking over services that have previously been provided by the California Department of Water Resources.

The DWR has greatly increased the costs it charges to water rights holders for watermaster services, through assessments on county property tax bills. Recent legislation allows a more cost-effective local entity to take over the watermaster duties.

"We've learned that a local district can supply the same services more cost-effectively, and we worked with state Sen. Sam Aanestad to create a new Shasta-Tehama Watermaster District," Shasta County Farm Bureau President Lin Lindstrand said. "We hope folks will come to the meetings to learn how this local service will help them."

The meeting schedule:

• Thursday, Dec. 13, 10 a.m., Hat Creek Fire Hall, Hwy. 89 and Doughty Road, Hat Creek, for water rights holders in the Hat Creek and Burney Creek watermaster service areas;
• Tuesday, Dec. 18, 10 a.m., Millville Grange Hall, Old Hwy. 44 and Deschutes Road, Palo Cedro, for water rights holders in the Cow Creek and Cottonwood Creek watermaster service areas;
• Tuesday, Dec. 18, 3 p.m., Tehama County Farm Bureau, 645 Antelope Blvd., Suite 15, Red Bluff, for water rights holders in the Digger Creek watermaster service area.

At the meetings, the services of the proposed watermaster district and the mechanics of its establishment will be explained by members of a local steering committee of water rights holders and by representatives of the Shasta County Farm Bureau and California Farm Bureau Federation.

The California Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization, works to protect family farms and ranches on behalf of 91,000 members statewide.

Contact: Dave Kranz
Phone: 916/561-5550
news@cfbf.com

Permission for use is granted, however, credit must be made to the California Farm Bureau Federation when reprinting this item.