il-june-18

Volume 9 Issue 6 June 2018
Jeremy Sorensen of
the Strawberry Water
Users Association

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CONTENTS
JUNE 2018 Volume 9, Issue 6
Irrigation Leader is published 10 times a year
with combined issues for July/August and
November/December by
Water Strategies LLC
4 E Street SE
Washington, DC 20003
STAFF:
Kris Polly, Editor-in-Chief
John Crotty, Senior Writer
Tyler Young, Writer
Julia Terbrock, Graphic Designer
Capital Copyediting LLC, Copyeditor
6
An
4
Interview With Jeremy Sorensen of Strawberry Water
Users Association
5 Leadership, Regulations, and
Sharing Ideas
By Kris Polly
6 Jeremy Sorensen of the
Strawberry Water Users
Association
14 The Use of Federal
Water for Growing Hemp: An
Interview With Reclamation's
Steve Davies
18 An Update on the Produce
Safety Rule
By Melissa Partyka
22 Lower Mekong Initiative
Cross-Cultural Water Resource
Tour Comes to the Borderland
By Karen Ray
MANAGER PROFILE
26 Economic Development of
North-Central Montana: Paul
Tuss of Bear Paw Development
Corporation
THE INNOVATORS
34 Forecasting Temperature,
Precipitation, and
Evapotranspiration: Geoff
Flint and Tom Hauf of
CustomWeather, Inc., and
Marco Bell of Merced Irrigation
District
SUBMISSIONS:
Irrigation Leader welcomes manuscript,
photography, and art submissions.
However, the right to edit or deny publishing
submissions is reserved. Submissions
are returned only upon request.
For more information, please contact
John Crotty at (202) 698-0690 or
John.Crotty@waterstrategies.com.
ADVERTISING:
Irrigation Leader accepts one-quarter,
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information on rates and placement, please
contact Kris Polly at (703) 517-3962 or
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CIRCULATION:
Irrigation Leader is distributed to irrigation
district managers and boards of directors in
the 17 western states, Bureau of
Reclamation officials, members of Congress
and committee staff, and advertising
sponsors. For address corrections or
additions, please contact our office at
Irrigation.Leader@waterstrategies.com.
Copyright © 2018 Water Strategies LLC.
Irrigation Leader relies on the excellent
contributions of a variety of natural resources
professionals who provide content for
the magazine. However, the views and
opinions expressed by these contributors
are solely those of the original contributor
and do not necessarily represent or reflect
the policies or positions of Irrigation Leader
magazine, its editors, or Water Strategies
LLC. The acceptance and use of
advertisements in Irrigation Leader do not
constitute a representation or warranty by
Water Strategies LLC or Irrigation Leader
magazine regarding the products, services,
claims, or companies advertised.
/IrrigationLeader
@IrrigationLeadr
COVER PHOTO:
General Manager Jeremy Sorensen of
Strawberry Water Users Association.
IRRIGATION LEADER
PHOTO COURTESY OF JEREMY SORENSEN.

Leadership, Regulations, and Sharing Ideas
This issue of Irrigation Leader contains articles on
food safety, the use of federal water in the growing
of industrial hemp, and irrigation along the
U.S.-Mexican border. Jeremy Sorensen, general manager
of the Strawberry Water Users Association, profiles
his irrigation district, its push for title transfer, and the
importance of outreach to the next generation of water
users. Paul Tuss, executive director of the Bear Paw
Development Corporation, shares his insights on the
irrigation-led economic development in north-central
Montana and the potential for agricultural growth in
the region. Geoff Flint, president and chief exective
officer, and Tom Hauf, senior sales executive, both of
CustomWeather, Inc., and Marco Bell, water engineer
for Merced Irrigation District, describe the strategies of
providing customers with the CustomWeather model,
the success customers have with the model, and the goals
for the further development of the model are detailed.
Melissa Partyka provides an in-depth update on the
By Kris Polly
Federal Produce Safety Rule. Bureau of Reclamation
Montana Area Office Manager Steve Davies profiles the
permitting process to use federal water in the growing
of industrial hemp. Karen Ray, media consultant for
Elephant Butte Irrigation District, shares the story of
the Lower Mekong Initiative Cross-Cultural Water
Resource Tour’s recent trip to New Mexico.
We hope this issue of Irrigation Leader is informative
and helpful in your efforts to promote exceptional
leadership in the irrigation industry. IL
Kris Polly is editor-in-chief of Irrigation Leader magazine
and president of Water Strategies LLC, a government
relations firm he began in February 2009 for the purpose
of representing and guiding water, power, and agricultural
entities in their dealings with Congress, the Bureau of
Reclamation, and other federal government agencies. He may
be contacted at Kris.Polly@waterstrategies.com.
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IRRIGATION LEADER 5

Spanish Fork River
Diversion Dam.
6
IRRIGATION LEADER

Jeremy Sorensen
of the Strawberry
Water Users
Association
The Strawberry Water Users Association (SWUA) delivers
71,000 acre-feet of water to more than 40,000 acres of
orchards and alfalfa fields, as well as burgeoning communities
on the southern Wasatch Front in Utah County. SWUA uses
the infrastructure of the Strawberry Valley Project, the first
Bureau of Reclamation project in Utah, to move water from the
Colorado River basin into the Great Basin.
For General Manager Jeremy Sorensen, delivering water on
behalf of SWUA is a family affair. Since SWUA was founded
100 years ago, there
have only been 20
years in which there
was not a Sorensen on
the board of directors.
Mr. Sorensen’s father
is currently one of his
15 board members.
Mr. Sorensen started
with the district as
its accountant and
moved into the general
manager position in
2011.
Kris Polly, editorin-chief
of Irrigation
Leader, spoke to Mr.
UTAH
Strawberry Water
Users Association
Sorensen about SWUA’s long history of service, his efforts to
transfer the title of some of the project’s infrastructure and
water rights back to SWUA, and the importance of outreach to
the next generation of water users.
Kris Polly: Please describe the agricultural lands you
serve.
Jeremy Sorensen: Agricultural production in our area
is quite diverse. In terms of orchards, we have cherry,
apple, and even pluot, which is a hybrid between a plum
and an apricot. Some growers raise raspberries; others
raise pumpkins or watermelons. The majority of growers
produce alfalfa, corn, wheat, and barley.
IRRIGATION LEADER
7

Our growers use flood and sprinkler
irrigation. Being in a mountain valley, those
up on the hillside prefer the sprinklers, while
those in the lower lands prefer flood. Flood
irrigation helps push salts down and keep the
nutrients going to the plant.
Kris Polly: Please describe your water delivery
system and its history.
Jeremy Sorensen: All our water originates in
the headwaters of the Strawberry River, which
then goes into the Green River, which flows
into the Colorado. All the water that we bring
across is considered Colorado River drainage.
SWUA relies on Strawberry Reservoir for
storage of those waters.
The Strawberry Valley Project was built
in the early 1900s. Project builders drilled
a tunnel through the Wasatch Front from
both directions. Those men were working by
candlelight and with horses, but by coming
from both sides, they were able to drill the
tunnel and only missed by about 6 inches.
Prior to 1991, SWUA maintained and
operated Strawberry Reservoir, collecting
both grazing and recreation fees to cover
operational costs. This was great for our water
users; SWUA was able to charge a minimal
assessment to our water users because the fees
around the reservoir covered our costs.
After 1991, the Central Utah Project (CUP)
brought additional Colorado River water into
the reservoir. CUP took a 260,000-acre-foot
reservoir and increased it to 1 million acrefeet,
guaranteeing SWUA 61,000 acre-feet
every year. The relationship has benefitted our
shareholders. It has provided SWUA with
certainty and created storage space for CUP,
which now operates the reservoir.
Interestingly, after SWUA signed the
agreement, CUP built a new tunnel—again
digging from each direction—and they were
off by more than 60 feet.
Kris Polly: SWUA is seeking title transfer of
parts of the Strawberry Valley Project. What
elements of the project are you seeking to gain
title to?
Jeremy Sorensen: We are seeking the title to
power plants and our main canal, and we are
also looking at trying to get the water rights.
We see a lot of the issues with the actual
water rights, so we are just trying to ensure that
8
the federal government no longer has a say in
what we can and cannot do. We have had so
many problems with the federal government—
with someone else in charge and a whole new
set of rules that we cannot live up to—because
we already have a precedent. We are then told
that we have been doing things illegally, even
though they have been aware of everything
going on. It is difficult to do business with an
organization that works that way.
Kris Polly: Do the problems that you are
referring to relate to some of the water that has
gone to small-acreage irrigators?
Jeremy Sorensen: Yes. Several years ago,
Reclamation issued a footnote to a directive
indicating that contractors can deliver to smallacreage
irrigators. Yet, the federal government
continued to tell us that we could not deliver
to any small lots. One of our shareholders, a
local city, sued us. The city’s residents had relied
on this water for nearly 70 years, and we were
required to give it to them. There we were,
with shareholders who own the water that
SWUA could not deliver because the federal
government would not allow us. Fortunately,
we were able to work through it.
Being the first water project in Utah,
everything was a learning process. The way
they set it up 100 years ago does not work as
well today because of the encroachment of
urbanization. We need to adapt.
Kris Polly: Has there been a solution to this
issue?
Jeremy Sorensen: Reclamation grandfathered
us in so that we can deliver to small lots. The
water has to be tied to the ground, and the
city does not own the ground; the homeowner
does. Reclamation created the water dedication
agreement, which allows the water to be tied
to the ground inside the city limits, but the city
becomes a subdelivery agent. We bill the city,
the city bills the shareholders through their
monthly billing, and the city is then able to
deliver the water to the user.
Title transfer will help with this contracting
process. Our other growing cities have a good
grasp of state law, but they struggled to work
under Reclamation law.
Kris Polly: What other benefits do you think
title transfer will bring to your shareholders?
Close-up view of the
Spanish Fork River
Diversion Dam.
STRAWBERRY WATER
USERS ASSOCIATION'S
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Scott Phillips
PRESIDENT
Kevin Anderson
VICE PRESIDENT
Calvin Crandall
Jesse Warren
J. Merrill Hallam
Lynn Swenson
Neil Sorensen
Bill Beck
Kenny Seng
Kelly Lewis
Guy Larson
Robert McMullin
Curtis Rowley
Curtis Thomas
Reid Stubbs
IRRIGATION LEADER

Jeremy Sorensen: We will cut out the middleman on a
variety of projects. For example, in one pipe replacement
project, SWUA had engineered a pipe replacement and
had it ready to go. We went to Reclamation to inform it
of the project, but we were told that our plans had to be
reviewed first. That process took some time. Without the
pipe in place, one of our power plants remained idle. After
3 months, the Technical Center told us to get it engineered
and have our local bureau take care of it, which we had
already done. They finally allowed us to put it in the ground.
We spent 3 months waiting and losing money.
Kris Polly: Where are you in the process right now with
title transfer?
Jeremy Sorensen: We are still working on getting all the
stakeholders on the same page. When we first decided
that we wanted title transfer, a local mayor told me that
SWUA only wanted water rights in order to sell to Las
Vegas. Of course, that is not possible. The state would not
let me do that, and I personally did not own the water; the
shareholders, such as the mayor himself, did. However, just
one person saying this created a fear that we may do that.
Kris Polly: What do you hope to see on the Colorado River
to help ensure that your supplies are sustained over the next
100 years?
Jeremy Sorensen: What we hear is that if Lake Powell
cannot supply the needs of Colorado River water users,
upstream supplies will be tapped, starting with Flaming
Gorge, and we fear it will move on to Strawberry Reservoir.
Water releases will affect all of our water here. We are
constantly watching that situation.
Kris Polly: What are some of the other challenges that you
are dealing with right now?
Jeremy Sorensen: Like everyone else, aging infrastructure
and communication issues are our two biggest challenges.
Communication is the key that everyone needs to work
on more. The rumor mill circulates, and one person with
influence can spread a lie. We are trying to get accurate
information out there and be as proactive as we can.
I have started attending council meetings to discuss
what SWUA is doing. The more proactive we can be, the
better off it will be for the future. We can work on those
IRRIGATION LEADER 9

Board President Scott Phillips educates second graders on Farm Field Day.
"The more
proactive
we can be,
the better
off it will
be for the
future."
—JEREMY SORENSEN
relationships so that when those off-the-wall
stories come out, I can put a rumor to rest.
Kris Polly: In addition to council meetings,
do you have other educational components to
what you are doing so that people in the area
have a better sense of how they get their water?
Jeremy Sorensen: In conjunction with the
Provo River Water Users Association and the
Central Utah Water Conservancy District, we
work with the local farm bureau. Each year,
they have a Farm Field Day, during which they
bring 3,000 second graders to a farm. We have
created a model mountain where we explain
the water cycle. We have dams and pipes that
show how we divert the water to different
areas. We can make calls, and I have a sprayer
to show the rain. It is fun to watch kids realize
the purpose of the reservoirs.
This education is much needed. I had
someone call me the other day; he was upset
because he had a family reunion by a reservoir
up Payson Canyon. Because of the drought, the
canyon reservoir has dried up to become a large
mud puddle. He told me that I had ruined
his reunion because I drained his reservoir
(even though I don’t regulate that reservoir).
The public perception is that reservoirs are for
recreation and fishing, when in reality, they are
for drinking, irrigation, and other water usage.
Kris Polly: What is the most important thing
you have learned as an irrigation district
manager?
Jeremy Sorensen: The most important thing I
have learned is communication. Don’t assume
anything. If you hear something verify it before
making any decisions. Keep everyone involved
as up to date as possible. I am not saying I am
perfect at this but have found the more I talk
to others the less questions we have about what
we are doing. IL
Jeremy Sorensen is the general manager of
Strawberry Water Users Association. He can be
reached at jeremy@strawberrywater.com.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JEREMY SORENSEN.
10
IRRIGATION LEADER

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The Use of Federal Water for Growing Hemp:
An Interview With Reclamation's Steve Davies
Although the Agricultural Act of 2014 includes provisions
for the growth of industrial hemp for research purposes under
state-approved programs, the use of federal water had been
in question given hemp’s classification under the Controlled
Substances Act. However, in late May 2018, the Bureau of
Reclamation’s Montana Area Office issued the first permit
for the use of federal water from a reservoir operated by
Reclamation to irrigate industrial hemp. Only one permit has
been issued so far; however, this action could allow for the crop to
grow in popularity throughout the West.
In an interview with Tyler Young, writer for Irrigation
Leader, Montana Area Office Manager Steve Davies speaks
about the recently issued permit. Mr. Davies elaborates on
Reclamation's process to issue the permit, how interested
applicants should approach the application process, and his
perspective on the future of hemp production in Montana.
Tyler Young: Please tell our readers about the approved
request to use federal water for growing industrial hemp.
Steve Davies: In June 2017, we received a request for a
water service contract from an individual who was leasing
agricultural lands adjacent to the Helena Valley Irrigation
District near Reclamation’s Canyon Ferry Reservoir for
the purpose of growing industrial hemp. The lands being
leased in this situation were not actually within the district’s
boarders, but were adjacent to the district’s canal. The
request came to Reclamation because we have the authority
of market water from the Canyon Ferry Reservoir, so the
individual asked for a water service contract for federal
water to grow the industrial hemp.
Unfortunately, the grower had already planted the crop in
2017, prior to contacting Reclamation for the water service
contract. This was the first formal request that Reclamation
had received for that purpose. We have a policy that requires
upholding the Controlled Substance Act of 1970, which
14
specifically included hemp as a prohibited crop. Although
the 2014 Farm Bill contained provisions that allowed for
exemptions to the Controlled Substance Act, we were unable
to get to a decision on whether we could lawfully provide
water for this purpose before the crop dried up several weeks
later. About 69 acres of crop was lost.
In 2018, this same grower submitted another request
for a water service contract prior to planting the industrial
hemp crop. This new request included comprehensive
documentation about how the grower’s plan to grow
hemp fit the narrow exemptions of the Farm Bill Act.
Reclamation was in a much better position of making sure
we could legally provide the water based on this additional
documentation. In particular, we were able to confirm that
this plan had the involvement of the state Department
of Agriculture and an institution of higher learning and
that the cultivated crop was for research purposes under
an established agricultural pilot program. Each of the
required provisions identified in the Farm Bill were met,
and we were assured that we could legally provide the water
and not get caught between the Controlled Substance
Act and the Farm Bill Act. A water service contract was
subsequently issued in May 2018 prior to the grower
planting the crop. We really have to give this individual
credit for doing the legwork necessary to demonstrate how
she legally fit this program.
Looking at the overall timeline for dealing with this
situation, it was really important for Reclamation to get
this decision right. We did not want to issue a water service
contract for this crop and find ourselves in the position later
of having to back out. This request was just in Montana,
but Reclamation operates in the 17 western states. The
cultivation of hemp and marijuana has gained popularity as
several states, such as in California, Colorado, and Oregon,
have legalized marijuana, so we must pay attention to the
particular uses that growers want federal water for.
IRRIGATION LEADER
PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVE DAVIES.

Tyler Young: Could you describe Reclamation’s official
stance on the growth of hemp?
Steve Davies: We have policy that prohibits the use of
federal water for the growth of hemp, as defined under the
Controlled Substance Act. That said, we recognize the fairly
narrow provisions of the 2014 Farm Bill Act for growing
industrial hemp under an authorized pilot program and
how federal water can be used in cases that fit these specific
provisions. We are currently getting other inquiries about
raising hemp, because farmers are finding a market for
the product. Going forward, and until Congress provides
additional language on the 2014 Farm Bill Act provisions,
we will review such requests on a case-by-case basis to
make sure these provisions are met.
Tyler Young: What is the step-by-step process for those
who want to pursue growing hemp in Montana?
Steve Davies: I think first and foremost, they need to
be registered and licensed under the state of Montana’s
established pilot program. For growers in Montana, they
really need to be affiliated with the state Department
of Agriculture to grow industrial hemp under that pilot
program. It fits exactly the provisions of the 2014 Farm
Bill Act. Second, they should identify their water source,
especially if they expect to need federal water.
Tyler Young: What does Montana's hemp industry look like?
Steve Davies: I think there is a stronger interest today. The
United States imports millions of dollars of hemp from
countries such as Canada and China. We are in very close
proximity to Canada; this crop is being grown right across
the border. A lot of products can be derived from hemp, and
certainly that is driving the interest for farmers today.
Different types of crops are constantly being explored
and grown, and when you cross the border into Canada,
it is even more so. The state of Montana’s pilot program
has at least a few dozen growers, and the particular grower
that I talked about earlier who is now getting Reclamation
water is the smallest of all those growers, so there is a strong
interest. We are trying to understand the market more, but
we have to be mindful of some of the other things that
are going on in the United States in terms of legalizing
marijuana, for which the Controlled Substance Act and
Reclamation policy strictly prohibit the use of federal water.
We rely on Congress to pass laws and provide clarification
on how they apply to the use of federal water in this
industry.
Tyler Young: How is this situation changing your day-today
role?
Steve Davies: Reclamation is a traditional organization
that provides water to users for a wide variety of agricultural
crops in Montana. The list is growing, constrained only by
what farmers can successfully grow and find a market for.
We are a large marketer of water in the United States and, to
some extent, in Montana. Irrigation districts and water users
are becoming more creative in how they apply water and
their growing patterns, so everything is constantly evolving,
and we try to keep up with that. I think the number of
applications for water to grow hemp will only increase in the
future. Interest is growing, not just on the part of growers,
but also on the part of Congress, which wants flexibility for
users to grow what they need to grow to be able to survive
and compete in the agricultural industry. IL
Steve Davies is the Area Manager for the Bureau of
Reclamation's Montana Area Office. He can be reached at
sdavies@usbr.gov.
IRRIGATION LEADER 15

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AN UPDATE ON
THE PRODUCE
SAFETY RULE
By Melissa Partyka
In November 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) finalized the Produce Safety Rule,
which includes an Agricultural Water Provision (AWP)
requiring that growers identify, inspect, and monitor their
irrigation water supplies for indicator E. coli. Compliance
for all aspects of the rule was set to begin in January 2018.
However, in March 2017 the FDA made an announcement
that it was reviewing the AWP after increasing pushback and
confusion over some of the finer points of the provision. In
the end, it kept the criteria the same but pushed the timeline
for compliance out an additional 4 years and continued to
emphasize the possibility of refinement as more science
becomes available. Therein lies the rub.
Most people recognize that monitoring the water
supplies that come into direct contact with fresh produce is
a good idea. The problem that the FDA has encountered,
one echoed by the scientific community, is that there
are currently not enough data available to create a truly
science-based standard for irrigation water. That does
not mean that the regulation of water has no basis in
science, but rather that the science of irrigation water has
lagged behind that of other water types, like drinking or
swimming. Why is that? Because research is hard and
expensive and takes a considerable amount of time before
concrete answers may be had, if any ever are. Further,
funding for research is frequently driven by demand, and
until recently, the demand for research linking microbial
contamination of irrigation water supplies to the risk of
human illness in the United States has been low. However,
as outbreaks of illness associated with consumption of
18
fresh produce have increased, so too has public awareness
of produce production environments, placing irrigation
supplies in the crosshairs.
The microbial quality of irrigation water supplies is
at the heart of the matter. Most bacterial, protozoal, and
viral pathogens that have been associated with foodborne
outbreaks are readily dispersed via water, so surface water
distribution networks can spread localized sources of
pathogens across large areas. If a grower’s irrigation source
is contaminated, pathogens may be broadcast throughout
a field, creating contact with many pieces of produce, and
eventually resulting in an outbreak. These, among other
qualities, make water a perfect vehicle for pathogens,
making their regular monitoring beyond a good idea, but
a necessity. The problem is deciding what to monitor for,
which forces the underlying question: What makes people
sick? The answer is: Many things! However, pathogens
are relatively rare, and monitoring for a rare thing is
not only time consuming but also expensive. So many
agencies choose to monitor for indicator organisms that
occur in high concentrations inside human and animal
guts. To protect the public, standards are frequently set
at concentrations associated with human illness. For
example, the standards in the AWP come from the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state that
approximately 36 in 1,000 people exposed to water with
an average generic E. coli concentration of 126 colonyforming
units/100 milliliters are likely to become ill. It does
not say guaranteed, nor does it say ill with what. This
estimation is the result of decades of research and is still
IRRIGATION LEADER
PHOTOS COURTESY OF FLICKR/U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION AND MELISSA PARTYKA.

egularly evaluated. To date, no study has been
conducted to approximate the likelihood of
illness in people that consume fresh produce
that has been irrigated with water at different
indicator E. coli concentrations.
Before the hard work of understanding risk
to consumers can be done, however, we need
to first understand the quality of irrigation
water supplies across the United States. This
is where irrigation districts in California and
Washington have been helping. Following the
release of the Produce Safety Rule and the
subsequent AWP, my colleagues and I began
actively pursuing irrigation districts across the
western United States as partners in research.
Since that time, we have successfully completed
a multistate survey of indicators and pathogens
in surface irrigation water supplies, followed
by a multiyear study to validate the use of data
sharing as allowed under section 112.47(a)(2)
of the rule. Specifically, this provision allows
growers to collaboratively monitor their water
ABOVE: Melissa Partyka.
The
microbial
quality of
irrigation
water
supplies
is at the
heart of the
matter.
—MELISSA
PARTYKA
supplies, provided there are no reasonably
foreseeable sources of contamination in
between monitoring locations. In short, this
means that growers along an irrigation canal
or a piped lateral can all share their data and
dramatically reduce the burden on any one
grower. Without preliminary data, however,
it is unclear how far away growers can be
from one another and still collaborate, or
even which factors along a canal should be
considered “reasonably foreseeable sources of
contamination.” We are actively analyzing our
data collected from eight districts over 3 years
to provide guidance on these questions and
help growers begin the work of complying with
the AWP. But much more work remains.
Though we currently enjoy ample
participation, it took us years to gain the
trust of enough districts to make a robust
study possible. In western states, irrigation
districts are a gateway that researchers must
pass through to gain access to surface water
distribution networks. Though the AWP
places the sole responsibility of water testing
on the grower, in the West the source of
many growers’ water is under irrigation
district control. Partnering with irrigation
districts is also much more efficient for
researchers, since districts already have a
built-in relationship with growers and can act
as honest brokers of information. However,
fear of potential liability has led some districts
to respectfully decline opportunities for
Food Safety Modernization Act–related
collaboration. Thus, the science of agricultural
water tends to be concentrated in a few
research-friendly irrigation districts, reducing
our ability to capture the broad diversity of
agricultural water conditions experienced by
the majority of produce growers. Even with
access and helpful partners, public funding
for this type of research is extremely limited,
and research takes time. Again, districts may
be able to help by lobbying state and federal
legislators for increased funding for rigorous,
and ultimately publishable, research of surface
water irrigation supplies. But for now, growers
and regulators will have to make do with the
best available research and hope for better. IL
Dr. Melissa Partyka is an extension specialist
at Auburn University and is an affiliate for
the UC Davis Western Institute for Food
Safety and Security. She can be reached at
m.partyka@auburn.edu.
IRRIGATION LEADER 19

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Lower Mekong Initiative Cross-Cultural Water
Resource Tour Comes to the Borderland
By Karen Ray
International Leadership Visitor Program visits Elephant Butte Dam.
On the eve of southern New Mexico’s monsoon season,
members of the International Leadership Visitor
Program (IVLP), sponsored by the U. S. Department
of State, spent the day with Elephant Butte Irrigation
District (EBID) Treasurer/Manager Gary Esslinger
and other water professionals learning about irrigation,
agriculture, and environmental and water law practices.
The IVLP works with individuals nominated by embassies
around the world who participate in professional exchanges
to the United States. The theme of this tour was the
Lower Mekong Initiative: Cross-Border Water Resource
Management. The Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) serves
as a multinational partnership effort initiated by the United
States, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam in 2009 to
promote and to foster integrated sub-regional cooperation
and capacity building in the Mekong sub-region.
Mr. Esslinger said, “They were interested in the fact
22
that the federal government was not as involved in how we
administer water in our area. The U.S. government built
our system, but farmers paid it off; this was unheard of.”
Also unheard of was Mexico’s million dollar repayment
contribution in return for the 1906 water delivery treaty.
The participants saw a variety of crops grown and
practices that are much different from theirs. They were
fascinated by the pecan orchards—a new nut to them—and
they were amazed to see field workers harvesting onions.
“Does the government hire those people?” one visitor asked.
Mr. Esslinger replied, “No, the farmer does.”
An Albuquerque-based nonprofit, Global Ties ABQ,
facilitated the tour. Spokesperson Destiny Logan explained
the organization’s goal to create connections between
visitors and New Mexicans. “This group’s objective was to
talk about water sharing for multiple purposes because in
that region, they are reliant on one river—the Mekong.”
IRRIGATION LEADER

The LMI’s challenges in cross-border water rights are
similar to our situation with Rio Grande water acquisition
and delivery across three states and one country. Hour
Thanit, vice chief of office in the Cambodian Ministry of
Environment, stated, “EBID is the model of water sharing
with the specific amount of water from Colorado to New
Mexico and from Texas to Mexico.”
Pham Thi Dieu My with the Centre for Social
Research and Development in Viet Nam was interested in
industrialization and climate change. Thi felt that EBID’s
purpose “really matched with our risks in our home country.
Topics of water management are the
same [as] in the Mekong District.”
Dr. Phil King, EBID engineering
consultant, described Rio Grande
geography, explaining its origins in
Colorado and its path through New
Mexico and El Paso, Texas, to become
the international border between the
United States and Mexico.
The group’s district tour began
at Elephant Butte Reservoir, New
Mexico’s key storage dam.
Released water travels through
the Hatch/Rincon Valleys, irrigating
agricultural lands and producing a
variety of key crops, from onions,
pecans, and forages to our famous
Hatch chile. It continues through the Mesilla Valley,
enabling agricultural production there, then on through
the Mesilla Diversion Dam in New Mexico to be shared
with Texas. Below this, the Rio Grande becomes the
international boundary, and travelers look across the Rio
Grande into Mexico.
Dr. King said, “During the critical irrigation season, the
two irrigation districts and Mexico often speak daily to stay
apprised of the water situation.” SCADA monitoring data,
available on the EBID and EP#1 websites, help all parties
see where the water is in the system.
New Mexico is facing ongoing extreme drought. “The
all-time record-low release occurred in 2013,” Dr. King
said. “This river has massive swings in water supply.”
The district creatively handles drought, including capturing
stormwater that can be used directly for irrigation, to
reduce the release from Caballo and deliver water to
Texas and Mexico or to infiltrate and recharge the aquifer.
This provides vital flexibility to producers. Mr. Esslinger
described how farmers laser level fields, have on-farm
practices like high-flow turnouts, and can apply 4 inches
of water conservatively. A full supply is 3 acre-feet per acre,
compared to 10 inches this year. “The way we irrigate and
conserve water fascinated them; it’s different than what
they are used to,” he said.
EBID works proactively with environmental groups
and is in discussions with the International Boundary
Water Commission (IBWC) to maintain the river channel
for efficient conveyance, flood control conveyance, and
establishment of wildlife habitat in the upriver channel.
Dr. King said this long-term struggle to balance the river’s
water use functions has developed into a plan to move the
habitat out of the main river channel.
Samantha Barncastle Salopek, EBID legal counsel, noted
that LMI tour members were interested in the balance
between human consumption/use of water and natural
environmental water use. She explained, “In the western
United States, you have a right to use water, although it
is owned by the state and is subject
to state and federal regulations and
delivery obligations.” Water elsewhere
Elephant
Butte
Irrigation
District
NEW MEXICO
is typically managed by government
agencies within communities. The two
primary federal regulations are the
Clean Water Act regulating pollution
and the Endangered Species Act
covering ecological flow issues while
also protecting human rights to use
water.” Ms. Salopek acknowledged the
question of balance. “We have to have
water to survive, to drink, to eat, to
provide for our children’s future. But
at the same time, there is a benefit to
letting the species use the water also.”
EBID’s endangered species of
concern are the southwestern willow flycatcher and the
yellow-billed cuckoo. The district developed a collaborative
program to protect species called the Environmental Water
Transaction Program. “Over the last 10 to 15 years, farmers
have worked together with environment groups to make
sure the species gets their water,” said Salopek.
Farmers are able to move water rights to different land
parcels through a voluntary water rights transfer process.
The policy allows e-farmers to order water like farmers and
irrigate native vegetation to grow habitat for endangered
species. Robert Faubion, EBID board president, said,
“Water delivered to restoration sites will irrigate riparian
shrub, woodland, and wetland vegetation. It is still
agriculture, but we are just growing something different.”
The Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park, west of Las Cruces
along the Rio Grande, is one example.
Learning about New Mexico’s challenges in delivering
water to not just EBID users but across state borders
and to Mexico provided our international visitors with
insights to take home and use to expand their own strategic
discussions. One tour member commented that he will
remember the “unique landscape and the importance of the
Rio Grande for the people of New Mexico and Texas as
well as Mexico.” IL
Karen Ray is a media consultant at Elephant Butte Irrigation
District. She can be reached at ray.karen7@gmail.com.
IRRIGATION LEADER 23

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MANAGER PROFILE
Economic Development in
North-Central Montana:
Paul Tuss of Bear Paw
Development Corporation
Created in 1969 as an economic development district,
Bear Paw Development Corporation has been shaping the
economic landscape of north-central Montana for nearly
50 years. Bear Paw Development is looking to propel its district
forward by establishing itself as a leader in alternative energy,
transportation, light manufacturing, food processing, health
care, value-added agriculture, micro-enterprise development,
and workforce education.
In an interview with Irrigation Leader’s editor-in-chief,
Kris Polly, Paul Tuss, executive director for Bear Paw
Development, speaks about the mission and goals of Bear Paw
Development. Mr. Tuss discusses the importance of economic
development for the region, new areas for expansion within
agriculture, and the many economic incentives the state of
Montana has to offer to individuals and businesses that wish to
call north-central Montana home.
Kris Polly: Please tell us about your professional background
and the company you work for.
Paul Tuss: I serve as executive director of Bear Paw
Development Corporation, located in Havre, Montana.
We are an economic development district and have been
in operation for 49 years. We serve a five-county region in
northern Montana that also includes two Indian reservations.
We are a nonprofit economic and community development
organization engaged in numerous projects in our very
rural area. Bear Paw is a one-stop shop for all economic
and community development activities in this region. Half
our work is devoted to community development, which is
focused on local government infrastructure, including water,
wastewater, bridges, senior citizen centers, hospitals, walking
trails, and other such amenities.
The other half of our business is devoted to economic
development, focusing on job creation and business growth.
We are a regional host for a small business development
center, which helps entrepreneurs develop business plans
to help them finance their small business start-up or
expansion plans. We also house one of Montana's largest
26
Paul Tuss, executive director of Bear Paw Development.
revolving loan funds. We have approximately $8 million
available to lend to aspiring entrepreneurs or existing
business owners who want to open a new business or
expand an existing one. We are actively involved in every
aspect of economic and community development here in
northern Montana.
Next year we celebrate our 50th year. We are Montana's
longest-serving economic development district, and we
have been a federally recognized economic development
district since the late 1960s. It is pretty unusual to find an
organization doing what we do for as long as we have.
Kris Polly: Please tell our readers about the Milk River
Project.
Paul Tuss: We have been involved in this project since its
inception. We live in an area of northern Montana known
as the Milk River Valley. It is a beautiful part of our state,
and from an economic perspective, the valley produces
about 10 percent of Montana's GDP, including a significant
portion of its agricultural economy.
Over 100 years ago, an incredible piece of infrastructure
known as the St. Mary Conveyance Works was designed
and constructed. It transfers water from the St. Mary River
basin to the Milk River basin. What happened 100 years
ago, and continues to happen to this very day, is the Milk
IRRIGATION LEADER
PHOTO COURTESY OF PAUL TUSS.

MONTANA
Bear Paw
Development
Corporation
boundary
MANAGER PROFILE
chickpeas and lentils. Montana has gone from
being a bit player in the pulse crop market just
a few years ago to number one in the nation
for growing certain pulse crops, including
lentils. Our region here in northern Montana
is heavily involved in that market. None of
this would be possible without the capacity
to irrigate these acres with water that flows
into the Milk River because of the St. Mary
Conveyance.
Kris Polly: Are you interested in attracting
processors or potential specialty crops to the
valley?
River Valley flourishes because we are able to irrigate tens of thousands
of acres of land. We live in a fairly arid part of the country, and the
Milk River, which flows right through Havre, would actually run dry
7 of 10 years if this infrastructure component had not been constructed
100 years ago. We owe our livelihood to this incredible piece of
infrastructure that, unfortunately, needs work right now. It is located on
the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and delivers water that ultimately goes
into Canada and comes back into the United States just north of Havre.
This water is used not only to irrigate an incredible amount of land, but
also for municipal drinking water, economic development purposes, and
of course, recreational purposes throughout our region. We refer to it as
the lifeline of the Hi-Line.
Kris Polly: Is Bear Paw interested in further economic development of
the St. Mary's project in the Milk River Valley?
Paul Tuss: We sure are. We seize every opportunity we can to help
communities grow and become great places to live, work, raise a
family, and build a business. Candidly, none of these things could
happen without this project. This is arguably the single most important
infrastructural enhancement in northern Montana when it comes to
making communities economically viable and great places to live. We
are heavily invested in making sure that this project moves forward and
that the necessary rehabilitation happens as quickly as possible.
Kris Polly: How many acres are irrigated by the project now?
Paul Tuss: Around 121,000 acres are irrigated with water from this
project. Agriculture is the backbone to our economy here in northern
Montana and always will be. This level of agricultural production
simply would not exist if this infrastructural enhancement had not been
constructed over 100 years ago.
Kris Polly: What are some of the crops that are grown there, and what
types of economic projects are you trying to bring to the project?
Paul Tuss: We have traditional crops, including wheat and barley, that
have always been grown here. However, there are now a significant
number of pulse crops that are being grown in this area, including
Paul Tuss: You bet. We understand full well
that as significant an economic driver as
traditional agriculture is, taking traditional
agriculture to the next level and adding value to
the commodities we grow is equally important.
We at Bear Paw Development greatly value
the partnerships we have with industry and
the agricultural community to add value to the
commodities we grow. In other words, rather
than simply shipping wheat to the Pacific Rim,
it would be far better to be baking bread with
it and getting a higher price for the quality
products we grow here. The idea is that valueadded
activity will result in higher profits for
our agricultural producers. Rather than simply
raising cattle, we can produce high-end beef that
can be processed right here. We have an entire
department at Bear Paw Development that is
devoted exclusively to value-added agriculture.
We assist people at the local level when it comes
to things they want to do. For example, we
have helped a local snack food manufacturer
whose product is grown organically here in our
region. If we can add value to these incredible
agricultural products that farmers and ranchers
have been growing for over 100 years in our
region, we are going to see the benefits of that
for decades to come.
Kris Polly: What are some advantages that
companies should be aware of before doing
business in Montana?
Paul Tuss: We are 35 miles from the Canadian
border. Even for those of us who live that
close to Canada, we tend to forget that our
neighbors to the north are not just great
friends of ours but also are consumers. There
are a lot of people who live on that southern
border of Canada. If I were to get in my vehicle
IRRIGATION LEADER 27

MANAGER PROFILE
right now and drive 4 hours north of Havre, Montana,
I would be in Calgary, which is a city of 1 million people.
We are strategically located in an area of Montana, and in
an area of the United States, that has geographic access to
an incredibly large market. If we can successfully grow crops
in our area, which we know we can, and then add value to
them through food and other manufacturing processes,
access the Canadian market is a great benefit.
Kris Polly: Are there any incentives that people should be
aware of?
Paul Tuss: That is one of the great values of working with
an organization like Bear Paw Development. We have eight
well-trained economic development professionals on our
staff to assist entrepreneurs and people who may want to
start a business. We have access to all the various funding
agencies at both the state and federal level. We house a
number of programs to help entrepreneurs who are just
starting out, as well as business owners who have been in
business for a while. We also have loan funds available to
start and grow a business. Interested entrepreneurs should
get in touch with us.
Kris Polly: Are there any tax advantages to doing business
in Montana?
Paul Tuss: Montana is one of just a handful of states that
does not have a sales tax. That is a significant benefit not
only to businesses, but also consumers. An additional tax
incentive, particularly from a property tax perspective, is
that we have a legislatively authorized property tax break
for new and emerging businesses here in Montana. We
also are home to several tax increment finance districts
that assist businesses and communities build their physical
infrastructure. There are a number of advantages to locating
in Montana.
Kris Polly: If people want to know more information, where
should they go?
Paul Tuss: You can find us on our website at bearpaw.org.
We are willing to do whatever we can to find the right
resources to help people grow their business. IL
Paul Tuss is the executive director of Bear Paw Development
Corporation. He can be reached at PTuss@bearpaw.org.
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28
IRRIGATION LEADER

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THE INNOVATORS
Forecasting Temperature,
Precipitation, and
Evapotranspiration
An Interview With Geoff Flint and
Tom Hauf of CustomWeather, Inc.,
and Marco Bell of Merced
Irrigation District
Close-up look of the gridded precipitation outlook for Merced Irrigation District.
Rain and snow are prized by irrigation districts, and
when districts depend on them to ensure water deliveries,
accurate weather forecasts become a necessity. This is the very
challenge CustomWeather, Inc., has set out to meet for its
customers. Since 2000, CustomWeather has been providing
decisionmakers with accurate weather forecast data with which
to better predict precipitation type, precipitation amounts,
and evapotranspiration rates, all of which makes managing
irrigation districts easier.
In an interview with Tyler Young, writer for Irrigation
Leader, CustomWeather’s President and Chief Executive
Officer Geoff Flint and Senior Sales Executive Tom Hauf, and
Marco Bell, water engineer for Merced Irrigation District,
discuss what goes into providing their customers with the
CustomWeather model, the success customers have with the
model, and the goals for the further development of the model.
Tyler Young: Please tell us about your background in the
industry.
Geoff Flint: I cofounded CustomWeather in 2000, and I
have a background in meteorology and economics. I wrote
most of the original software at CustomWeather, so I have
extensive programming experience in addition to over 20
years of experience in meteorology. I help to bridge the
gap between sales and technology at the company. We’re
always thinking of innovative solutions to different weather
challenges that companies face.
Tom Hauf: I am a former Air Force weather officer. I
joined CustomWeather in 2003. My primary focus
34
at CustomWeather is developing and implementing
customized weather solutions.
Marco Bell: I have been in water resources for about
40 years now. I started when I was a young man working in
the Panama Canal. Today, I work for the Merced Irrigation
District, where I have been for the past 5 years.
Tyler Young: Please give us a brief history of
CustomWeather, why it was established, and its mission.
Tom Hauf: CustomWeather was founded in 2000 and is
headquartered in San Francisco. We have been a leading
provider of weather information, focused on providing
technical innovations and solutions to decisionmakers.
CustomWeather is not a big consumer-facing company,
but rather a smaller operation focused on the back end of
operations. We like to think of ourselves as the biggest little
weather company of the world. We are just as capable as the
big weather companies, but we are small enough to offer
individual support for our customers. We provide historical,
real-time, and high-resolution forecast data, maps, and
weather tracking for 80,000 locations in 230 countries and
in 80 languages.
The backbone of our entire operation is our proprietary
high-resolution forecasting model, the CustomWeather
100 or CW100. The model focuses on the lowest levels
of the atmosphere with resolution much finer than that
of standard forecast models. We believe the CW100 to
be the most accurate high-resolution forecast model in
existence. Its ability to project near-surface weather with
IRRIGATION LEADER

unprecedented resolution and accuracy is revolutionary.
The model is able to account for mountainous areas that
have widely varying terrain. It performs equally well during
nighttime and daytime, and in nonpopulated areas and
populated areas. Our goal is to help decisionmakers make
critical weather decisions based on our data.
Tyler Young: Marco, please tell us about Merced Irrigation
District and how the district began working with
CustomWeather.
Marco Bell: The irrigation district became an entity in
1919, and its roots go all the way back to the mid 1800s
with previous canal companies. We began building our
reservoir in 1964, and we completed construction in 1967.
It holds over a million acre-feet of water, which we use
to meet our irrigation demands of about 140,000 acres of
irrigated land.
Snow and snowmelt in the high mountain elevations
significantly affect our management approach. I decided
to make models with a gridded approach to better handle
our forecasting, especially with snow, snowmelt, and runoff.
In researching solutions that could help us, I
found that CustomWeather had the perfect
product that could provide all the parameters on
a gridded basis. We integrated CustomWeather’s
solution into our operation, and we could not
be more impressed. I was very excited to have
the company on board. Now after many years
of working together and further developing our
models, CustomWeather has proven to be the
right choice for us. We have expanded the model
and are now developing models down to the
valley, including the four reservoirs at the lower
watersheds in the basin. The models include the
San Joaquin River and end on the south side of
the district.
Tom Hauf: In Marco’s business, he has a specific need that
a lot of companies are not able to fulfill. He was looking
for a company that could work with him one-on-one. This
took time to develop; it didn’t just happen overnight. After
some back and forth, we were able to develop an excellent
solution for the district.
"We like
to think of
ourselves
as the
biggest little
weather
company of
the world."
—TOM HAUF
THE INNOVATORS
inform the hydrology models that Dewberry provides. It
is very important for the Merced Irrigation District to be
able to predict things like runoff; evaporation; and most
importantly, snowmelt, which all have a major effect on
water levels and other parameters the district models. The
solution is good compared to others because it is high
resolution, and as I mentioned before, it is able to account
for a diverse microclimate in the mountains. The CW100
model offers a high degree of accuracy. Evapotranspiration
is also important, especially in a world that’s going dry in
many respects.
Marco Bell: One of CustomWeather’s advantages is that its
employees have a meteorological background, so the inputs
actually have a meteorological, physical nature to them.
It is not just based on observed point data or locations
in the mountains. Instead, CustomWeather can actually
extrapolate and use models to give us more precise input
data than we could ever come up with on our own.
Tom Hauf: The CW100 analyzes six different National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration models and
one model from Canada. Then we rate the
performance of each model for initialization
purposes to determine which model is working
best, and that’s the one we use to inform our
CW100 model.
Tyler Young: What are some of the challenges or
uphill struggles you have overcome?
Tom Hauf: As far as the challenges go, mountain
terrain is at the top of the list. It is difficult to
accurately estimate precipitation from radar
because radar cannot see behind the mountain,
so we supplement the radar data with rain gauge
observations. There are ways we can fill in where
we cannot see precipitation falling, and it has
worked out quite well. Another challenge is determining
where it is raining and where it is snowing. As you would
expect, rain and snow behave differently. Rain runs right
off into the rivers, and snow stays there and melts later. It’s
important to know the precipitation type, which is difficult
due to the sparseness of actual observations.
Marco Bell: We have been developing this process over
time, and it’s in pretty good shape now.
Tyler Young: Tom, please describe the service you provide to
Merced Irrigation District.
Tom Hauf: In essence, we provide high-resolution gridded
observations and forecasts for temperature, precipitation,
and evapotranspiration. Our forecast data covers everything
that falls from the sky. Those inputs are then used to
Geoff Flint: It is difficult to pinpoint exact precipitation
totals in the mountainous and diverse terrain in the Merced
Irrigation District because there are few rain gauges and
much of the area is outside the typical radar beam. We’ve
had to use a combination of sources to accurately fill in
precipitation totals, including elevation-adjusted gauge
readings, Doppler radar estimates where available, and
modeled data. Our forecast model itself does a nice job of
picking up the wide range of rainfall and snowfall totals
across the district.
IRRIGATION LEADER 35

THE INNOVATORS
Marco Bell: One of the major challenges we have is moving
away from the way models of the past. For example, a basin
may be 10 square miles, and in the mountains within those
10 square miles, everything can change significantly. You
have high elevation areas, low elevation areas, high slopes,
and low slopes, and the storm can come from any direction.
We can easily end up not getting the right solution, so we
had to grid the basin into different squares or elements and
characterize each individual element in more detail.
With the CustomWeather model, we are able to do just
that with precipitation and snowmelt. We can now delineate
and forecast where the snow falls and where the rain starts
with a lot more precision than with the other models. That is
important because it can accurately tell us how much water
is going into our reservoirs at any given time. There are two
major challenges to deal with: dry conditions in which we
have almost no water, and periods of time with high water
levels. We have been all the way down and all the way up in
recent years, but we have managed that successfully. There is
a risk that requires us to know what runoff is coming down
and to have a handle on snowmelt. The best way to do it in a
mountainous area is to do a gridded approach with a physical
base model. Our process handles that part of the challenge
well. We are better able to conserve our water so that we have
a better, more reliable water supply; to reduce the effects of
drought; and to better manage reservoir operations to ensure
that flood space is available when the flood waters come.
Tyler Young: Where do you see CustomWeather going in
the future?
Tom Hauf: We see a growing need for our high-resolution
CW100 modeling techniques, not only to prepare districts
for rain events or big precipitation, but also to prepare them
for what appears to be lengthening periods of dry weather
due to climate change.
Geoff Flint: Every year, the forecasts get better, the models
get even higher resolution, and the amount of data
we process gets more immense. We’ve developed our
own system to handle and process terabytes of weather
information each day. We’re able to tailor that information
to our customers’ exact needs. As a company, we constantly
stay on top of the latest technologies so we can bring extra
value to our clients. Part of that value is the accuracy of our
weather forecasts and the custom solutions that we provide.
In the coming years, I foresee big improvements in the
weather forecasting 3–4 weeks out, which will be beneficial
for planning purposes for irrigation districts everywhere.
Tom Hauf: We provide two things: current condition
observations and forecasts. Precipitation is tricky because
much of the area is outside the radar beam, so we rely on
multiradar, multicenter data to adjust for elevation. There
are ways we can fill in where we cannot see precipitation
falling, and it’s worked out quite well.
36
Marco Bell: We do those two things with the model. We
operate on a real-time basis, because we need to know what
is happening right now, and we forecast for the next week.
We use hourly time increments with details of what is
going to happen in the future. We manage our operations,
including our deliveries, flood control, and environmental
requirements, by using this system.
We also have a planning version that based on a physical
model for analyzing effects such as climate change. For
example, we can analyze the climate change effects and
start planning the infrastructure we may need to build.
Capital projects planning can help ensure that we will be
able to meet future operational needs as best as we can. For
example, we can prepare climate change scenarios from
CustomWeather data to examine what’s going to happen in
our basin and plan accordingly. So it is useful not only for
real-time operations but also for guiding and planning.
Tyler Young: What advice do you have for districts that may
be considering working with CustomWeather?
Tom Hauf: Water engineers and irrigation district managers
have a growing need for high-resolution forecasts, and
CustomWeather is eager to serve. We have worked directly
with many different groups to fine tune what we do, and
that is the whole idea behind CustomWeather—we are
masters of customization.
Geoff Flint: We’re able to provide a high-resolution and
tailored weather solution to any irrigation district out there.
We’re partnered with Dewberry for hydrology modeling,
and we have many products tailored to the agricultural side
of things, such as evapotranspiration. We can certainly help
any irrigation district looking for better flood forecasting,
both short and long term.
Marco Bell: From my perspective, water is one of the
most valuable resources, and it becomes more valuable as
we stress our environment. With climate change, we are
seeing sea levels rise, precipitation dynamics changing, and
snowmelt seasons shortening. These challenges demand that
we have the ability to meet our water supply requirements
within our individual mandates. What CustomWeather can
do for districts is help them with forecast and parameter
analysis to help better manage risks in their specific area. IL
Geoff Flint is the president and chief executive
officer of CustomWeather, Inc. He can be reached at
gflint@customweather.com.
Tom Hauf is the senior sales executive at CustomWeather, Inc.
He can be reached at tomhauf@customweather.com.
Marco Bell is the water engineer for Merced Irrigation District.
He can be reached at mbell@mercedid.org.
IRRIGATION LEADER

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