Modesto Irrigation District board deadlocks on further investigating alleged theft
The three-hour-plus, tension-filled Modesto Irrigation District Board of Directors meeting Tuesday concluded with a tied vote on a motion to further investigate Larry Byrd for allegedly using tens to hundreds of millions of gallons of MID surface water outside the district.
Byrd and Director Janice Keating voted no on the motion. MID board President Robert Frobose and Director Chris Ott voted in favor.
Byrd, who was elected to the district’s board in 2011, was placed under investigation after being publicly accused of using his water allocation to irrigate a portion of his almond orchard that sits outside MID boundaries. Such irrigating apparently violates district policy.
The investigation — conducted by the Visalia-based architectural and engineering firm 4Creeks — determined that Byrd’s previous explanation, that he used groundwater through a well to irrigate out-of-district trees, was scientifically impossible based on the data it had.
However, the investigation’s tests could not determine he stole MID surface water to do it. How the director watered his almonds outside the district remains a mystery, and it’s unclear, as of Tuesday, if the public will ever know the answer.
Throughout the meeting, accusations were lobbed across and against the board. Frobose led a campaign to further investigate Byrd. There was fierce defense by Byrd, his brother Tim Byrd, friends, employees and former U.S. Congressman John Duarte during public comments.
Frobose wanted to further investigate Byrd due to the 4Creeks’ findings that he couldn’t have used groundwater to irrigate his out-of-district trees. Other unanswered questions, possibly misconceptions, regarding 4Creeks’ report were also of concern to Frobose.
Frobose’s efforts were supported by Bill Lyons, former agriculture liaison to Gov. Gavin Newsom and former California secretary of food and agriculture; Stacey Henderson, an attorney representing the interests of West Side growers; Todd Sill, the “disgruntled employee” Byrd said started the allegations; and other public speakers.
The investigation into Byrd was another chapter of a decades-long debate over water rights between the moisture-rich West Side of Stanislaus County and the drier east side. The interests of both have been represented by lawyers and powerful, prominent growers. Most were present at Tuesday’s meeting.
Byrd’s orchard is a 436-acre property known as AB La Grange Ranch, which is about four miles east of Roberts Ferry. About 340 acres of Byrd’s almond trees are within MID’s boundaries and 96 acres are outside of it, according to the report. The business is co-owned by Larry and Tim Byrd and local landowner Tyler Angle.
MID Director John Boer IV recused himself from the presentation and vote on the motion due to a conflict of interest. Boer explained, “Although I don’t have a conflict of interest at this time, the board can provide direction that may later involve my, apply to … one of the partners of AB La Grange as a temporary source of income interest to me.”
This story was originally published December 16, 2025 at 3:01 PM.
