A political showdown will unfold today among Nevada Irrigation District directors who can't agree on who should join them in governing the district, which serves 25,000 users in two counties.

R. Paul Williams stepped down in April, leaving vacant the Division IV seat representing the Lincoln area, the water agency's thirstiest region. It's the first time the seat has sat empty in 27 years.

With a federal re-licensing agreement coming forward in 2013 for district hydroelectric plants, and years of environmental review already underway, the stakes are high. Many eyes are watching to see if there is ample water for rivers and fish, recreationists, farmers and household users.

“Williams was the last of the old guard, and (the appointment for his seat) will set the pace for the next 20 to 50 years. What comes out of the re-licensing process will set the course for a lot of the community,” said Ben Barretta, former assistant general manager for NID who retired in 2004.

In May, directors Nancy Weber and Nick Wilcox narrowed their preference to organic farmer William Morebeck, while directors Scott Miller and John Drew favored Williams' recommendation, rancher Jim Bachman.

The two candidates are neighbors living on Garden Bar Road near Lincoln.

In coming years, issues facing Division IV include future development and increasing deliveries of treated water for municipal use to a region historically devoted to cattle ranching. The area in Placer County stretches from Highway 49 in North Auburn to Highway 65 and parts of Lincoln; earlier in the decade, it was the fastest-growing area of California.

As much as 55 percent of all NID water goes to Division IV, Wilcox said. “That is and will continue to be a topic of discussion,” Wilcox added.

“What's happening with ranchers in Placer County, they're not ranching (anymore),” Barretta said. “They are splitting up properties and selling (them) for rooftops.”

The water board's core disagreement is over sending water to Lincoln for development, said Drew, the chairman, whose Division II stretches from the McCourtney Road area across Alta Sierra to Chicago Park.

“We have different visions for the district,” Drew said, naming Weber, the Division I director, as a strong opponent to the building of a water treatment plant in Lincoln to serve planned development there.

Weber refused to comment on any NID matter.

“I don't talk to The Union,” Weber told a reporter. She then rebuffed a second telephone call urging her to reconsider, and hung up.

Weber represents the Nevada City and Banner Mountain area, and she has voted against the Lincoln plant in the past.

“It's almost like it's coming from two camps. This is the swing vote,” Barretta said of the open fifth seat.

Wilcox's decision to support Morebeck was based on the mandarin and lemon farmer's qualifications working with groups including Placer Grown, a small-farmer advocacy group, and Placer Legacy, a land conservation group, and his work drafting environmental impact reports, he said.

But Wilcox, whose Division V embraces Lake Wildwood, Penn Valley and the area around Grass Valley, would not comment on why NID directors were unable to agree on a successor to Williams.

Division III Director Miller, who represents southern Nevada County, suggested the board turn to a special election to decide the matter, he said.

“I'd hate for it to go to that, but should I be picking another area's person?” Miller said. “I was comfortable with Jim Bachman because he's well-informed, he's an agriculturalist.”

Last year, opportunities for a new dynamic on the board surfaced when long-time director George Leipzig retired after 15 years and Scott Miller came up for re-election.

Weber supported candidate Michael Straight with a $190 campaign contribution in his run for Division III against incumbent Scott Miller.

On Tuesday, the Placer County Board of Supervisors weighed in on the matter, voting 4-0 to send a letter to the NID board recommending rancher Bachman serve the remainder of Williams' term.

Any appointed director would have to run for election when the term expires, but would have an incumbent's advantage.

Supervisor Jennifer Montgomery, of Serene Lakes near Donner Summit, abstained, saying a vote from the supervisors was putting the cart before the horse.

“Coming to us for a recommendation was not an appropriate procedure,” Montgomery said.

If NID board members can't reach an agreement for a new director, they must send the matter to voters at a cost to ratepayers of $40,000 or place it before Placer County supervisors again for a binding vote.

“It might be logical for voters to have some say in who occupies that seat,” Wilcox said.

To contact Laura Brown, e-mail lbrown@theunion.com or call 477-4231.