Sutton named new GM for Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District
Apr. 19—Effective May 1, fifth-generation Colusa County native and attorney Jeff Sutton will take over as the new general manager for the Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District.
Raised on a family farm that was established in 1870, officials said Sutton will take over management of what is considered the "largest agricultural irrigation district in the Sacramento Valley." According to the district, it oversees the operations and maintenance of a water conveyance system that serves 140,000 acres of irrigated farmland and over 20,000 acres of federal wildlife refuge lands.
The Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District (GCID) also uses more than 2,000 miles of canals, laterals and drains, officials said. In his role, Sutton will direct the district in its mission to deliver irrigation water to more than 1,200 water users.
"The GCID Board welcomes Jeff Sutton as its new General Manager. I have known and worked with Jeff in various capacities over the past two decades and can personally attest to his passion and commitment to the protection of North State water rights and the preservation of agriculture," GCID Board President John Amaro said in a statement. "I look forward to Jeff leading GCID in its efforts to manage, maintain and modernize the District to reliably, effectively and affordably serve its landowners, now and into the future."
Sutton previously served as the general manager for the Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority for more than 17 years, officials said. At the authority, he was responsible for the management, operation and maintenance of the Sacramento Canals Unit of the Central Valley Project, a 130-mile-long dual canal water irrigation system spanning four counties, serving 17 valley project water districts and 150,000 acres of farmland located on the west side of the Sacramento Valley.
"During his tenure, Sutton was instrumental in leading the effort to permit, design, and construct the Red Bluff Fish Passage Improvement Project," the district said. "This $185 million project resulted in the construction of a new pumping plant and a quarter-mile-long fish screen that retired the operation of the Red Bluff Diversion Dam, providing reliable water diversions to the TCCA service area while simultaneously removing a significant fish passage impediment that greatly benefitted several threatened and endangered fish species in the Upper Sacramento River. Sutton has also been intimately involved in the development of the Sites Reservoir Project, serving as a Director on the Sites Reservoir JPA Board for the last decade, and as Vice-Chairman for the past five years."
Prior to his time with the Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority, Sutton worked to protect water and property rights as the executive director of the Family Water Alliance. He also worked as an attorney in private practice with a focus on water law and business and real estate litigation, the district said.
"I am excited to join the GCID team and greatly look forward to working with its talented and committed staff and Directors. The District has played an important role in my family history, and I am honored to have the opportunity to contribute to its future as a regional leader in water resource stewardship and natural resource sustainability," Sutton said in a statement. "The water delivered to our farms and ranches is the economic foundation of this region. I am personally invested in our local community and am committed to seeing it prosper and flourish. I was born here, grew up here, and this is my home. I share a similar history, background, perspective and values as the landowners served by the District. My focus and efforts will be dedicated to the protection and preservation of the District legacy, its senior water rights, and the establishment of a more stable and certain regulatory environment, for the benefit of the growers today and future generations to come."
