High tech and low show state’s snowpack is still stingy
The snowpack above the Central Valley looked slightly better after March and April brought the winter weather that was AWOL during the first two months of 2020. But the late storms weren’t enough to get valley rivers much above the 60%-of-average mark, if that. You need to login to view the rest of the content….
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Green sturgeon makes surprise appearance
A rare, wild green sturgeon was found on the San Joaquin River upriver from the confluence of the Merced this past weekend by U.S. Bureau of Reclamation crews checking salmon traps at Hills Ferry. The discovery caused some excitement as this endangered fish had not been seen that far up the San Joaquin in many…
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Legal fight reopened over Kern River
The Kern River can’t seem to stay out of California’s courtrooms — even in a pandemic. The latest legal scuffle, which erupted last week, is a continuation of a nearly decade long battle by a Kern County ag water district to hold on to a portion of its main water supply. On Friday, April 9,…
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New state water regs cause angst on all sides
A new set of water regulations aimed at protecting California’s native fish came down from the state earlier this week to near universal condemnation from both agricultural and environmental water folks. The regulations are contained in a 143-page “incidental take permit” issued by the Department of Fish and Wildlife that lays out when — and…
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March storms leave so-so snowpack in the north and a cliffhanger on the San Joaquin River
March wasn’t exactly miraculous this year but it did OK by California’s snowpack, bringing it from a dismal 40-ish% of average up to above 60% of average in the northern Sierras. The bump wasn’t so great in the southern Sierras where snowpack is still at 40% to 46% of average for the Kaweah, Kern and…
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Kings River fish fry (release)
A gazillion baby rainbow trout were ready to stretch their fins and the Kings River Fisheries Management Program was there to help. On a warm February afternoon a handful of volunteers gathered at the nondescript trout incubator in the shadow of the Pine Flat Dam ready to set tens of thousands of fry free into…
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Modesto farmer Bill Lyons resigns as Governor’s ag liaison
Bill Lyons resigned his post as agricultural liaison to Gov. Gavin Newsom effective immediately, according to an email from the Governor’s office Monday afternoon. Lyons, a long time Modesto farmer, was touted as being the “voice of the valley” in the Newsom administration when he was appointed to the unique post almost exactly one year…
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San Joaquin River Chinook salmon made history last year – sort of
An unexpected number of Chinook salmon swam up the San Joaquin River last spring, prompting surprise and giddy pronouncements that the river’s long dead spring-run population had been resurrected. The 500 or so fish were living proof that the 11-year-long river restoration program was a success. A “smashing” success, some advocates said. Others felt the…
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Trout fry fest on the Kings River – volunteers needed
The Kings River Fisheries Management Program is looking for volunteers to help with its annual trout fry release February 26. About 8 to 10 people are needed to carry 20-pound buckets full of trout fry to the Kings River between the Army Corps of Engineers bridge to Avocado Lake Park, about 20-30 miles east of…
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Kern River water is at the center of another legal battle
The relative lull in lawsuits over Kern River water was broken Dec. 11 when Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water Storage District filed a complaint against the City of Bakersfield. Rosedale’s complaint, filed in Kern County Superior Court, demands that the city keep selling a portion of river water to the district under a layer cake of agreements…
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Maven's Notebook is an excellent daily accounting of California water happenings statewide.
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