'Our water, our future' presentation by Tom Neisler

Provided.

To thank Tom Neisler for his presentation, President Jennifer Palakiko presented him with a certificate, and a donation was made to the Rotary Foundation in his honor.

At the weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of Tehachapi on Aug. 15, the Club welcomed Tom Neisler, general manager of the Tehachapi-Cummings County Water District (TCCWP).

Neisler has been with the water district since 2013, stepping into the position of general manager in 2016. He studied civil engineering at San Diego State University, and has an extensive background in civil engineering and construction, working many years in both the public and private sector. He is active in the Association of California Water Agencies, serving on the Board of Directors at both the regional and state level.

At the Tehachapi-Cummings County Water District (TCCWP), Neisler says that their motto of "Our Water, Our Future," is a very true statement, because water resources are essential to life. Water will continue to be important in the future, as the water in California is decreasing, in addition to being insufficient to meet current and future needs. TCCWP serves 415 square miles in the greater Tehachapi area, from Caliente to beyond Sand Canyon. Neisler shared their mission statement, which sets forth their priorities to import water from the State Water Project, manage groundwater basins and provide flood control.

Neisler went on to discuss the Statewide Water project, which provides most of our local water, such as the water in Brite Lake. This water comes from far north of Sacramento, beginning at Lake Oroville, and travels about 400 miles south through the California Aqueduct. From the foot of the mountains, they pump the water up to Tehachapi, which is a climb of over 3,000 vertical feet, through four lift stations, which is the highest lift in the state of California. Each lift station utilizes engines which are powered by natural gas, to pump the water through 30-inch pipes up to Tehachapi. Due to the cost of natural gas, the water district pays about $2 million per year to pump the water for use in the Tehachapi area, and the costs continue to increase. Water is delivered for both agricultural and residential use, and approximately 2/3 of the water goes to agriculture. People often wonder why there is so much farming in Tehachapi, and Neisler explained that the climate here allows the agriculture companies to grow crops in Tehachapi that won't grow other places during the peak summer months.

Neisler further explained about groundwater basins. The State Water Project's series of canals, tunnels and pipes is a rather vulnerable system, especially to earthquakes in the Northern California delta. As a result, water agencies are required to "bank" groundwater to prepare if there were to be a disruption to the State Water Project supply. TCCWP monitors the extractions from the groundwater basins, which means how much water is being pumped out of the ground, and they are responsible for regularly reporting that information to the state. They also monitor the quality of the drinking water. Neisler stated that they guard both the quality and the quantity of our local water, as it is a precious resource. The water district receives revenues from both water fees and property taxes, including property taxes from the local renewable energy properties.

Neisler emphasized that water rights are actually included in the state constitution in California, and TCCWD successfully manages this local resource to meet the needs of all their customers. In times of shortages, irrigation supplies can be reduced to ensure that other needs are met first. There continues to be a challenge to meet the increasing fixed demand with a decreasing variable supply; however, existing customers have priority over future customers and growth. Neisler said, "TCCWD will strive to ensure that our grandchildren enjoy the same availability of water that we do today."

To thank Tom Neisler for his presentation, President Jennifer Palakiko presented him with a certificate, and a donation was made to the Rotary Foundation in his honor.

The Tehachapi Rotary Club meets at noon every Thursday at Kelcy's. Rotary is committed to "Service Above Self," and devotes time and resources to projects in the local community, scholarships for college-bound high school seniors, and supporting global efforts for polio eradication. For more information about the Rotary Club, you can visit their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/RotaryClubofTehachapi/.