Federal System Archives

Change is coming to the Westlands Water District board. What will it mean for the future of the sprawling district and its controversial general manager?

October 27, 2022

• by Lois Henry

The makeup of the Westlands Water District board will change this election – shifting power to a coalition of growers with a list of new actions, at the top of which appears to be ousting longtime General Manager Tom Birmingham. “There needs to be a change of leadership, that’s a foundational issue,” said Sarah Woolf,…

Federal System

When ag water is short, it’s good to be a San Joaquin River Exchange Contractor

April 4, 2022

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Even as most agricultural water supplies are being cut to the bone with California descending into a third year of extreme drought, the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractor districts will apparently receive 100% of their “critical year” allotment – 650,000 acre feet. The move is just one of the quirks in California’s byzantine world water…

Drought • Federal System

Feds not giving “fair share” of water to all contractors, some say

March 8, 2022

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

In California’s byzantine water world, some water districts are, apparently, more equal than others, to paraphrase George Orwell. That appears to be the case in the federally operated Central Valley Project, particularly when it comes to two main sets of water districts: the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors and the Friant Contractors. On Feb. 27,…

Federal System • Friant-Kern Canal

Federal water allocation of 0% to 15% too skimpy, contractors say

February 23, 2022

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

The Bureau of Reclamation announced its 2022 water allocations for the Central Valley Project (CVP) on Wednesday. The CVP is a more than 400-mile network of federal canals and dams that transport water to farms and towns throughout the valley. CVP contractors south of the Delta will receive no water, except for a couple specific…

Federal System

Proposed dam project sparks opposition from fellow water users

February 16, 2022

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

A new California dam project you probably haven’t heard of has already passed the initial environmental stages and recently won approval to apply for possible public funding. Predictably, the project has stoked opposition but not all the naysayers are who you might expect. The Del Puerto Canyon Reservoir project, which would sit in the hilly,…

Drought • Federal System

The Counter: How a federal drought relief program left southern Oregon parched—and contributed to the ongoing groundwater crisis in the West

November 23, 2021

• by Jessica Fu, The Counter

This piece is part of a collaboration that includes the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN), California Health Report, Center for Collaborative Investigative Journalism, Circle of Blue, Colorado Public Radio, Columbia Insight, The Counter, High Country News, New Mexico In Depth and SJV Water. The project was made possible by a grant from the Water Foundation…

Federal System • Floods • Groundwater • State System • Water Banking

Lawsuit claims Kern County Water Agency shorted a key local canal’s volume

June 30, 2021

• by Lois Henry

The Cross Valley Canal is a key cog in the southern San Joaquin Valley’s water machinery. It moves water east and west between the California Aqueduct along Kern County’s western edge to the Kern County Water Agency’s facilities near Manor Street in Bakersfield. Along the way, it also connects with the federally owned Friant-Kern Canal,…

Drought • Federal System • Friant-Kern Canal

No cut to Friant water users – so far

June 3, 2021

• by Lois Henry

Though questions remain about whether San Joaquin Valley towns and farms that rely on water from Millerton Lake could be cut to zero, as they were in the last drought, water managers are moving ahead as if that won’t happen. In 2014 and 2015, the federal Bureau of Reclamation wasn’t able to get enough water…

Drought • Federal System • Groundwater • Personalities

Will climate change alter water rights?

May 27, 2021

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water reporting intern

The specter of climate change isn’t just impacting weather, it could also change California water rights, according to experts who spoke at this year’s annual Water Summit put on by the Water Association of Kern County. The May 25 virtual event included a host of experts who caught attendees up on the latest information about…

Conservation • Drought • Federal System • Rivers • State System • Water Banking

Virtual Water Summit – May 25

April 20, 2021

• by Lois Henry

The Water Association of Kern County’s annual Water Summit is virtual this year but will still pack a punch of who’s who in the water world. The day kicks off with an update on water brought to the San Joaquin Valley via the federal Central Valley Project. The speaker will be Deputy Bureau of Reclamation…

NEWS

Change is coming to the Westlands Water District board. What will it mean for the future of the sprawling district and its controversial general manager?

When ag water is short, it’s good to be a San Joaquin River Exchange Contractor

Feds not giving “fair share” of water to all contractors, some say

Federal water allocation of 0% to 15% too skimpy, contractors say

Proposed dam project sparks opposition from fellow water users

The Counter: How a federal drought relief program left southern Oregon parched—and contributed to the ongoing groundwater crisis in the West

Lawsuit claims Kern County Water Agency shorted a key local canal’s volume

No cut to Friant water users – so far

Will climate change alter water rights?

Virtual Water Summit – May 25

Subscribe To Our Weekly Newsletter & Get Email Notifications