MID not jumping to conclusions in suspected water thefts this year

The Modesto Irrigation District’s process of investigating water theft is much more private this year.

Last year, the district publicly shamed a few suspected water bandits and slapped them with stiff fines, only to later reverse most of the penalties after determining that things weren’t quite as they seemed.

Although the drought has stretched to a fourth consecutive year, officials learned a lesson and are taking a more cautious approach. They’re conducting an internal review of two cases of suspected theft and won’t say who or how much until facts are ready to present to the board of directors, who will discuss penalties in open session in coming weeks.

The revised procedure includes asking those being investigated for their side of the story. Last year, some customers said they were blindsided when their names and allegations against them suddenly appeared on the district’s webpage.

“These (theft reports) seem to become more prevalent when there is less water,” said MID spokeswoman Melissa Williams. Customers this year will receive a historic low of 16 inches per acre, compared with about 48 in average years.

At Tuesday’s MID meeting, board chairman Larry Byrd asked if management is “contemplating nudging that 16 inches up?”

Not before state water regulators announce further restrictions on use of river water, which could happen soon and might affect the Modesto and Turlock irrigation districts, MID General Manager Roger VanHoy answered.

MID encourages customers to frequently check online reports showing how much water they’ve used, and plan accordingly. The district recently sent letters to 20 customers who had already used more than half of their yearly allotment; some might be participating in one or more of MID’s special drought programs, allowing them to buy more than their 16-inch share, said Jason Word, irrigation field services manager.

He showed recent pictures of private pipes tapping into canals or MID irrigation boxes. All could be used to illegally swipe water and were removed, he said, adding that some may have legally transported groundwater pumped into canals before the irrigation season began, and none was determined to have stolen water during the season.

In other news, the board on Tuesday morning reviewed yearly audit results that raised no red flags.

A Modesto Bee review of audited financial statements found that the district’s 2014 profit, or total operating revenue less expenses, came to $62 million – the second-highest profit in the past decade, behind $73 million in 2012; last year’s profit was $54 million.

MID has cleared $354 million in operating profit in the past 10 years, with a yearly average of more than $35 million. Most of that comes from electricity customers; power revenue exceeded expenses by $130 million last year, while MID’s irrigation water expenses exceeded the money paid by farmers by $5.7 million.

This story was originally published May 26, 2015 at 4:13 PM with the headline "MID not jumping to conclusions in suspected water thefts this year."