A new Tulare County water district is on a tight timeline to balance an opportunity to buy water for its farmers with the need to fund its operations long term. The board of the newly formed Consolidated Water District voted Dec. 3 to buy 2,900 acre-feet of water from three private ditch companies, the Persian, Watson and Matthews ditch companies. The timing is both good and bad. Good because the district is preparing for a Proposition 218 election in spring to assess new fees to farmland and this purchase is a clear example of what that money pays for. The timing is also bad because the district is operating on a $500,000 loan from Consolidated People’s Ditch Company while it gets established. The 2,900 acre feet purchase will eat up $290,000 of that loan.

Other water management news:

• Red Bluff Daily News (Calif.): Groundwater Commission meets Wednesday
• Times of San Diego: Opinion: A water district using its own water shouldn’t be controversial