Deadline approaching for comments on environmental proposals for Merced County dam

Friday is the deadline to submit public comments on federal proposals that many Merced County farmers fear could further reduce irrigation water for the next half-century.

The Merced Irrigation District’s application for relicensing of New Exchequer Dam on Lake McClure is under review by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The commission’s draft environmental document for the new license was released in March and proposes significantly increasing flows on the Merced River.

Mike Jensen, MID’s spokesman, said the district has worked hard to get the word out to the public, especially area farmers.

“We’ve had a lot of people step forward with their comments regarding what this could mean for the community and especially for the impacts it could have to agriculture,” Jensen said Tuesday.

Dozens of the county’s agricultural, business and political leaders have already spoken out against the proposals, many during a public meeting earlier this month at the Merced County fairground, including Assemblyman Adam Gray, D-Merced.

“We cannot meet the drought challenge, achieve groundwater sustainability and deal with major flow proposals from the state Water Board and FERC all at the same time,” Gray said earlier this month.

John Sweigard, MID’s general manager, has said the draft license condition would “hamstring the district’s ability” to properly manage operations.

A final environmental document with new water storage requirements is expected from FERC later this year.

This story was originally published May 26, 2015 at 6:55 PM with the headline "Deadline approaching for comments on environmental proposals for Merced County dam."