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Check out SJV Water’s story about a sinking town in the Central Valley that was published in the NEW YORK TIMES!
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Latest News
• by Lois Henry, SJV Water
The long-running lawsuit against the City of Bakersfield over how it operates the Kern River is set to go to trial on Dec. 8, 2025. Kern County Superior Court Judge Gregory Pulskamp set the trial date before a packed courtroom, though most in attendance were attorneys on one side of the case or another. This…
Hikers and Kern River advocates began finding multiple dead Canada geese in and around Truxtun Lakes starting Thursday. California State University Biology Professor Rae McNeish counted at least 10 dead adult birds along the shore and saw another two on the island, according to an email string SJV Water was included on. “The birds look…
• by Monserrat Solis, California Local News Fellow
Editor’s note: Monserrat Solis covers Kings County water issues for SJV Water through the California Local News Fellowship initiative. A projected increase in the kind of “atmospheric river” type storms California experienced in the historic 2023 water year could be disastrous for the San Joaquin Valley – or its salvation. The difference depends on whether locals can…
• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
The evolution of the Eastern Tule Groundwater Sustainability Agency continued Thursday, as outgoing – and outspoken – board member Matt Leider attended his final meeting sporting a new hat emblazoned with the words “Tea Pot Dome GSA.” For those who follow the ebb and flow of groundwater agencies in the Tule subbasin, Leider’s hat was…
• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
Residents and advocates in the small community of Fairmead have been working for years to find ways to relieve pressure on the area’s aquifer to protect domestic wells. With the latest election, they hope all that planning can finally come to fruition. On Tuesday, Californians voted to approve Proposition 4, $10 billion in bonds for…
Access to a reliable water supply can make or break an agricultural investment, especially in the San Joaquin Valley where aquifers are coming under intense scrutiny from state and local agencies. Without at least two sources of water, farms and ranches throughout the San Joaquin Valley are quickly losing their value — some by more…
The legal fracas over who should pay to fix the sinking Friant-Kern Canal grew Friday when three Tulare County irrigation districts sued the Friant Water Authority for imposing steep fees on the districts approved through allegedly secret communications and serial meetings. In a suit filed Nov. 1 the Terra Bella, Saucelito and Porterville irrigation districts…
From Water Education Foundation’s press release: Henry is third recipient of Rita Schmidt Sudman Award for Excellence in Water Journalism Lois Henry, a journalist who launched SJV Water as a nonprofit news site devoted to covering water in the San Joaquin Valley, was named the 2024 recipient of the Water Education Foundation’s Rita Schmidt Sudman Award for…
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Maven’s Notebook is an excellent daily accounting of California water happenings statewide.