Development Archives

KVPR interviews SJV Water and Fresnoland about story on the perils of building on shaky water

February 21, 2023

• by SJV Water

LISTEN HERE Reporters Jesse Vad and Gregory Weaver talk to Kerry Klein with KVPR about their story on how taxpayers are bailing out homeowners who bought luxury houses in a development that should never have been built on groundwater. Fresno County Supervisors approved the Mira Bella development back in the 1990s despite multiple red flags…

Development • Policy

Debacle in the hills: How Fresno County officials ignored water warnings and why taxpayers are paying the price

February 6, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water and Gregory Weaver, Fresnoland

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was a collaboration between SJV Water and Fresnoland, a nonprofit news site that covers public policy in Fresno. Thirty years ago, residents told local officials that a boutique subdivision near Friant…

Development • Drinking Water • Groundwater

Expiration dates looming for TCP lawsuits

November 4, 2020

• by Lois Henry

The clock is ticking for some water systems and well owners to file a claim if they’re considering suing Dow Chemical and Shell Oil companies for possibly tainting groundwater with a chemical known as 1,2,3-TCP. That’s short for 1,2,3-trichloropropane. It’s a chemical that was added to a nematode fumigant made by Shell and Dow and…

Development

Fresno Irrigation District video celebrating its centennial (and then some)

June 2, 2020

• by Lois Henry

The Fresno Irrigation District has been quietly celebrating its 100 year anniversary during the global pandemic. Though several events had to be canceled for safety concerns, the district put together an informative video to help folks understand just how momentous bringing controlled irrigation and drinking water to the valley was. CLICK HERE to view the…

Development

How water from Kern grows sprawl in Madera

April 1, 2019

• by Lois Henry

So, a pile of water banked in Kern County is being used to support a massive urban development in Madera County. Before you try and wrap your head around how that’s geographically possible, there’s the whole question of whether the banked water (and other water slated for the project) even can be used for that purpose. Then…