The sale and transfer of up to 4,000 AF of District water from Lake Yosemite to the San Luis Water District

The Merced Irrigation District (MID) is facilitating the transfer of up to 4,000 acre-feet of water from Lake Yosemite to the San Luis Water District (SLWD) for delivery to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for use at the East Bear Creek Unit of the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge. This transfer is scheduled to occur between November 1, 2025, and February 28, 2026, and is contingent upon water availability during that window. Water will be measured at the MID Bear Creek West Boundary recorder, with supply drawn from MID’s pre-1914 water rights and enabled through the re-assignment of diversion points and re-operation of infrastructure including Lake Yosemite and Crocker Dam. SLWD acts as the contractual intermediary, managing the execution of the transfer with MID and ensuring delivery to the USBR, while separately negotiating incremental water allocations for its own agricultural customers in western Merced County. The transaction follows a pattern of prior approved agreements between these entities in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023, and 2024. The project qualifies for categorical exemptions under the California Environmental Quality Act, citing operation of existing facilities, minor land use adjustments, and water conservation, thus avoiding formal environmental review. No pricing, federal contract clauses, payment mechanisms, or procurement-specific requirements such as UEI codes, FAR provisions, inspection protocols beyond volume measurement, or formal acceptance criteria are detailed. The sole financial reference is a $50 filing fee associated with a Notice of Exemption, which was signed by MID’s General Manager on October 1, 2026, with no federal appropriation or accounting data linked to the transaction.