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A new member has been added to the Lower Yuba River Accord.
The agreement was approved earlier this week by the board of directors for the Yuba Water Agency and allows the Cordua Irrigation District to participate in the water management agreement that supports endangered salmon and steelhead, while also ensures water supplies for cities and farms.
“This new agreement significantly enhances how we manage the region’s surface and groundwater resources by bringing everyone together around the same common rules,” said Scott Matyac, Yuba Water’s water resources manager who worked closely with Cordua to develop the agreement. “We deeply appreciate the willingness of the district’s past and current board members to work together on this important effort.”
The Yuba Accord was implemented in 2008 to resolve decades of controversy and litigation over instream flow requirements in the lower Yuba River. The agreements allow Yuba Water’s members to participate in the Groundwater Substitution Water Transfer Program. In dry years, members can pump groundwater as a substitute supply for the agency’s surface water deliveries thereby allowing water to stay in the river when needed most by the environment.
“Cordua appreciates the outreach and the effort by Yuba Water to include us in their effort to greatly improve conditions on the lower Yuba River for fish, wildlife and the people of Yuba County,” said Charley Mathews Jr., Cordua’s chairman of the board. “This greatly streamlines the activities of the Accord and enhances the reliability of water for agriculture and the environment in Yuba County.”
Other members of the Accord include: Brophy Water District, Browns Valley Irrigation District, Dry Creek Mutual Water Company, Hallwood Irrigation Company, Ramirez Water District, South Yuba Water District and Wheatland Water District.
