Irrigation districts name new GM

Limas to replace Vink in January

The boards of directors of the Lower Tule and Pixley Irrigation Districts announced Thursday that Eric Limas has been hired to be the districts’ next General Manager. Limas will assume duties on Jan. 1, taking over for Dan Vink who has held the position for the last 18 years.

Limas has served as assistant general manager since 2016 and was hired as business manager in 2002. Limas was selected following a succession planning process that was recommended by Vink and approved by the district boards earlier this year.

“The districts have had strong leadership under Dan, and knowing that he won’t be here forever, we wanted to make sure we had a solid succession plan. We went through an extensive transition and review process before choosing Eric,” said Lower Tule Board President Gary Fernandes and Pixley Board President Frank Junio. “The boards decided Eric was a terrific choice given his experience with the districts and we’re very confident in his abilities to lead the districts into the future. Eric has been working with Dan and the boards for the last 15 years, so he comes in with a solid background and is ready to go on day one.”

Vink added, “The timing was right for this change, and the boards did a thorough job to make the best choice possible. I’m very happy for Eric and excited to see the leadership he will provide for the district landowners.”

Limas is a lifelong resident of Tulare County and grew up on his family’s dairy farm in Lower Tule. He

graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a bachelor’s degree in ag business, and is a licensed CPA and graduate of the California Ag Leadership Program. Limas and his wife Adriane have three children and live in Tulare.

The districts were formed in the 1950’s and to date have had only had three general managers. Vink took the helm in 1999 and has been with the districts since 1994. He will continue to advise the districts on

specific policy issues and projects including Sustainable Groundwater Management Act implementation and the Success Reservoir enlargement. Vink also heads up the South Valley Water Association as executive director.

The Lower Tule River Irrigation District and Pixley Irrigation District cover more than 160,000 acres in Southern Tulare County. In 2017, the Districts delivered nearly 600,000 acre-feet of water to lands in the districts.