Tuscan Water District

Landowners in the recently formed Tuscan Water District have approved an assessment fee to fund the district’s operations. The vote took place yesterday after more than two hours of heated discussion. Also, five-year-old Elias Wolford is now able to sit up on his own and has begun physical therapy after being shot at Feather River Adventist School in Oroville last month, and California is abandoning its noncarbon fuel mandates for diesel trucks and locomotives in anticipation they’ll be challenged by the incoming Trump Administration.

In a contentious vote, landowners in the newly formed Tuscan Water District have approved an assessment fee to fund the district’s operations.

Water advocates are speaking out against the controversial Tuscan Water District. They’re urging district residents to vote no on funding the district.

Water advocates are speaking out against the controversial Tuscan Water District. Also, the True North Housing Alliance started a program to provide training and counseling to unhoused Chico residents at the beginning of the year, and Redding plans to cut one of their Crisis Intervention Response Teams, which handle calls involving people suffering from acute mental health crises.

The Tuscan Water District Board meeting yesterday was followed by an hour-long workshop during which members of the community gave their input.

The Tuscan Water District was established to try to preserve groundwater resources for local agricultural landowners. But there is concern with how the district plans to engage in an experimental recharge strategy, which some say could harm small farmers and trees in Chico and Butte County.

Advocates are calling on landowners who can vote on the Tuscan Water District to cast their ballot against funding the groundwater management proposal. They say it unfairly favors large-scale, out-of-state landowners. Also, several flash flood warnings have been issued in the past few weeks. We hear from an expert about the National Flood Insurance Program, and the Chico Ice Rink is open for the season in downtown.

Election results for the controversial Tuscan Water District were certified earlier this week with the proposal winning approval. Part of the controversy stems from the fact that all votes didn’t have the same weight in the election. Some small landowners’ fears that their interests won’t be fairly represented by large ag concerns who will control the governing board.

Some landowners in Butte County are currently voting on the formation of the Tuscan Water District. In a previous canceled election for the district, votes would have been determined by acreage, now it’s land value.

Butte County Supervisors approved the next step in creating the Tuscan Water District. NSPR's Alec Stutson has more from the board meeting on Tuesday, July 25.