United States Department of the Interior 

BUREAU OF RECLAMATION 

2800 Cottage Way 

Sacramento, CA 95825-1898 

MP-3000 

1.3.11 

To: Eric R. Quinley 

General Manager

 Delano-Earlimart Irrigation District 

Subject: Reclamation Request for Delano-Earlimart Irrigation District Assistance to Prepay 

Trinity Public Utilities District (PUD) Assessment 

Dear Mr. Quinley, 

Beginning in March 2007, Reclamation initiated a process where collections for the Trinity PUD 

Assessment were made to water users based on an assessment per acre-foot of water delivered. This 

assessment has been collected similar to the Restoration Fund from over 300 contractors. 

Accounting for this process is very complex for both Reclamation and the water users as it is 

accounted for in detail for payments and the assessed amount per acre-foot. The assessment has 

historically been in the range of 10 cents per acre-foot. The amount collected by water users is 

remitted to the Trinity PUD as outlined in the Public Law 106-377, Appendix B. Although this 

process has been utilized since 2007, it is administratively inefficient for both the water users and 

Reclamation. 

Therefore, Reclamation would like to introduce a more efficient approach which would significantly 

streamline the recovery of the Trinity PUD Assessment and the remittance to Trinity PUD. We 

would like to work with Delano-Earlimart Irrigation District to pay the annual amount in a lump sum 

each year and have a corelating amount credited to Delano-Earlimart Irrigation District O&M rates 

of the same year. Since an amount would be credited to Delano-Earlimart Irrigation District for 

O&M, the correlating amount would have to be added to the O&M cost so that all contractors pay for 

the credit provided. The amount added to O&M for all water users to remit would be based on the 

allocation each year of the assessment based on delivered water to each user. Collection of amounts 

necessary to equal the Trinty PUD Assessment added to the O&M cost will be trued up in the Annual 

Accounting Analysis process for all contractors. Reclamation agrees to keep Delano-Earlimart 

Irrigation District whole as it relates to fiscal exposure under this agreement if collections from all 

contractors are insufficient to credit Delano-Earlimart Irrigation District for the lump sum it provides 

to Reclamation by pledging O&M revenues from all contractors on a priority basis. 

After clarifying discussions and analysis, Delano-Earlimart Irrigation District has provided interest in 

helping to streamline the process and is willing to make the annual Trinity PUD assessment in a lump 

sum payment as outlined above. Reclamation thanks Delano-Earlimart Irrigation District for its 

willingness to work with Reclamation to streamline this process so that water users and Reclamation 

can focus on other financial issues that are a better use of Reclamation’s resources. 
2 

Once this agreement is in effect, this process will commence for the 2024 water year for the Project 

water only. Reclamation will assess and collect Trinity PUD charges for non-Project water. Water 

users will receive correspondence that addresses the new improved process and confirmation that the 

assessment per acre-foot under the previous method will cease on March 1, 2024. 

The payment in lump sum will be due in June each year based on a Reclamation letter to DelanoEarlimart Irrigation District providing the amount payable based on a slight change each year due to 

indexing the Assessment as identified in the legislation. For the Delano-Earlimart Irrigation District 

water contractor Annual Accounting Analysis, Part 1, Reclamation will credit Delano-Earlimart 

Irrigation District for the advance Trinity PUD funds. Part 2 of the analysis will reflect the total 

amount received by Reclamation. These two entries will have a footnote that reflects what each 

represents. The annual Accountings will have a separate schedule that identifies the total amount 

received by Reclamation for Trinity PUD which is credited to Delano-Earlimart and a corresponding 

amount allocated to all contractors representing the cost to cover the credit. 

This agreement will be effective based on the date and signatures included below, will continue for a 

period of two subsequent federal fiscal years, and be subject to any subsequent mutually agreeable 

modifications of the parties. 

26th Agreed to this ____ day of December, 2023: 

_________________________________ _______________ ___ _______________ 

Digitally signed by Eric R. Quinley 

DN: cn=Eric R. Quinley, o=DelanoEarlimart Irrigation District, ou, 

email=equinley@deid.org, c=US 

Date: 2023.12.26 11:22:26 -08'00' 

SABIR AHMAD AHMAD 

-08'00'

Digitally signed by SABIR 

Date: 2023.12.26 11:46:19 

Sabir Ahmad 

Reginal Finance Manager 

California-Great Basin 

US Bureau of Reclamation 

Eric R. Quinley 

General Manager 

Delano-Earlimart Irrigation District