NEWS

* The following news release was provided by the Kings River Conservation District: As Pine Flat Reservoir’s water storage increases and the lake level rises, it eventually reaches a point where the dam’s gated spillway, located at the highest operational point, is used. That level is approximately 85% of gross pool. Water management officials expect…
Even as some San Joaquin Valley communities still have flood damage to fix, new drought preparedness funding has been awarded by the state. Millions of dollars are going to local groundwater agencies for farmland retirement and repurposing. And some funding will help update infrastructure in small communities.  The state Department of Water Resources announced on…
The surging San Joaquin River is proving to be another tough water management problem. The raging waters from this year’s historic rain and snowpack are seeping through levees, destroying crops and threatening the city of Firebaugh.  The small city of Firebaugh in Fresno County, sits right up against the river. Seepage is the major problem,…
The small town of Tooleville ran out of water and started receiving water hauled in by truck on June 5. It’s the first time the town has needed hauled water since October of 2022. Despite the historic snowpack and storms this year, groundwater levels in some areas are still low and wells are still going…
One of the surest ways to corral flooding on the valley floor is floodplain restoration – letting rivers spread out over large swaths of undeveloped land to slow their flow and absorb the water.  But even as cities and farms throughout the southern San Joaquin Valley brace for more flooding from an epic snowmelt after…
Kern River water is expected to go into the intertie, which connects the river to the California Aqueduct, starting Saturday morning. The goal is to keep more flood water from reaching the already flooded Tulare Lake bed in Kings County. The plan had been to begin dumping Kern River water at 500 cubic feet per…
The Kern River is rising fast and, so far, the public hasn’t been given very good information on the one question on everyone’s mind: Where’s it going to flood? Wednesday, the Kern County Office of Emergency Services put out detailed, locally built maps that attempt to answer that question under various flow scenarios. The upshot…
Receive the latest news

Don't miss a drop of water news!

Sign up to get our weekly newsletter ‘The Splash’, plus instant news alerts directly to your inbox.