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September 11, 2022
Contact: Modesto Irrigation District, Public Affairs Dept., Melissa Williams (209) 526-7390
River Group Names New Administrator
Dennis Westcot of Davis, California has been chosen as the new Project Administrator of the San Joaquin River Group Authority (SJRGA). Westcot succeeds Lowell Ploss who retired in May.
As Project Administrator, Westcot is responsible for coordinating and implementing the San Joaquin River Agreement and other SJRGA activities with other state, local and federal agencies.
Westcot recently retired after more than 30 years of service with the Sacramento office of the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board and the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. He holds a master’s degree in soil physics and hydrology from New Mexico State University.
“With his vast knowledge of Central Valley water issues, Dennis will be an asset in a critical period for the SJRGA team,” said Allen Short, SJRGA Coordinator.
There are two goals of the San Joaquin River Agreement. The first goal is to sustain a healthy fall-run Chinook salmon population in the San Joaquin River and its tributaries. The second is to develop a better scientific understanding of how the survival of salmon smolts is affected by river flows, reductions in water exports and installation of a fish barrier at the head of Old River. The Agreement is an intensive 12-year study program.
Established in 1995, the SJRGA is a Joint Powers Authority created to protect the water supply of San Joaquin Valley water agencies. Member agencies include San Joaquin Valley water agencies – Modesto, Turlock, South San Joaquin, Merced and Oakdale irrigation districts, the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority, the Friant Water Users Authority and the City and County of San Francisco.
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