English | Español

Facebook-f Twitter Linkedin-in Instagram
Login
Donate

NEWS

New groundwater fee aims to create “equity” among South San Joaquin Valley farmers but some say it will unfairly devalue their farms

• by Lois Henry
A new groundwater fee intended to create “financial equity” between farmers who pay for imported water and those who don’t has stirred anger and concerns about land valuation in the Wheeler Ridge-Maricopa Water Storage District. The new “groundwater service charge” was approved Wednesday by  the Wheeler Ridge board of directors. While this particular issue only…
Read More

A new study helps scientists understand how the Sierra Nevada snowpack affects fluctuations in ground levels on the San Joaquin Valley floor

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
Scientists have figured out how to more accurately understand ground fluctuations in the San Joaquin Valley. It’s hoped the research will eventually become a tool valley water managers can use to predict the effects of groundwater pumping. Up until now, researchers have used satellite technology to collect data on changing ground levels, which can tell…
Read More

San Joaquin Valley groundwater will need more than one epic water year to rebound in the long term

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
With all the flooding, runoff and more snowmelt still to come, everyone’s wondering: How’s the groundwater? Short answer: Better.  Long answer: It’s going to take more than one good water year to reach sustainability. After decades of over pumping and two severe, multi-year droughts within five years of each other, San Joaquin Valley aquifers had…
Read More
•

Regs relaxed for storing flood water

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
Governor Gavin Newsom is hoping to see the deluge from the ongoing storms socked away for dry times by making it easier to recharge underground aquifers.  The governor issued an executive order Friday suspending some regulatory requirements to divert flood water for groundwater recharge. The hope is to recharge as much water as possible since…
Read More

Some San Joaquin Valley farmers are rebelling against groundwater measures

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
As water managers throughout the San Joaquin Valley scramble to reign in groundwater pumping, they’re running into a serious roadblock: angry farmers.  Across the valley, farmers have decried fees and other measures meant to reduce pumping, threatening not to pay, taking agencies to court and protesting groundwater rules.  In some cases, it’s working.  In the…
Read More
•
A tractor discs land near a wildlife area. SOURCE: Department of Water Resources

New state program will pay to keep groundwater in the ground

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
The state will likely soon be offering  up more cash to farmers who take their crops out of production. The state Department of Water Resources’ (DWR) new LandFlex program will pay out $25 million to local agencies and ultimately, as an incentive to farmers.  This is different from the Multibenefit Land Repurposing program overseen by…
Read More
•

State water agency wades into lawsuit to maintain its authority over groundwater plans

• by Rose Horowitch, SJV Water reporting intern
A lawsuit over groundwater plans in the northern end of the San Joaquin Valley is being closely watched as it could have implications for how the state’s groundwater mandate moves forward, according to a recent briefing on the issue at the Kern Groundwater Authority. At the Nov. 16 meeting, authority attorney Valerie Kincaid explained that…
Read More
•

Scientists uncover ancient “super highways” to increase groundwater recharge

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
In the chronically overpumped San Joaquin Valley, groundwater recharge can’t happen fast enough. And researchers at University of California, Davis and Stanford University have found underground highways that could put recharge into the fast lane.  In a new paper released today, scientists show that airborne electromagnetic (AEM) surveys flown with helicopters can locate ancient underground…
Read More
Receive Notifications

Enter your email address to receive INSTANT ALERTS of new articles and to be added to SJV Water’s WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

NEWS SEARCH
Water Resources

Maven’s Notebook is an excellent daily accounting of California water happenings statewide.

Visit Site
Receive the latest news

Subscribe To Our Weekly Newsletter & Get Email Notifications

Enter your email address to receive INSTANT ALERTS of new articles and to be added to SJV Water’s WEEKLY NEWSLETTER