Uncategorized Archives

Utility stops flows to closed hatchery but keeps some North Fork Kern water for itself

July 28, 2022

• by Lois Henry

Southern California Edison has stopped taking water out of the North Fork of the Kern River for a state fish hatchery that has been closed for nearly two years but added a new diversion that river advocates are calling a “dangerous precedent.” The move comes several weeks after river advocates complained the utility was using…

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Costs vs. benefits still unknown for the latest delta tunnel alignment, released Wednesday

July 27, 2022

• by Lois Henry

Kern County water managers are, for the most part, sticking with the proposed Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta tunnel but are keeping an eye on details still to come – how it will actually operate and how much the water will cost. The Department of Water Resources released a draft environmental impact report on the latest iteration…

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South valley groundwater managers to use $10 million to protect community water and look for ways to retire up to 100,000 acres of farmland

July 25, 2022

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Three San Joaquin Valley water agencies are gearing up to spend $10 million each in grant funding from the state Department of Conservation to retire or repurpose farmland. Valley agencies that have received grants so far include the Kaweah Delta Water Conservation District, Pixley Irrigation District Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) and Madera County. SJV Water…

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Kern County agricultural water district begins mining mountain stream under pilot program

April 8, 2022

• by Lois Henry

Water flowing down the south fork of the Kern River began running through Lake Isabella earlier this month with a name and destination attached for the first time in its history. The water will eventually make its way 60 miles down river to its owner, the Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water Storage District in northwest Bakersfield under…

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VIDEO: Water is a hot topic at the World Ag Expo in Tulare County

February 9, 2022

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Tractors, irrigation technology, harvesting machines and more tractors lined the dirt roads of the World Ag Expo in Tulare this week. The world’s largest agriculture exposition took place from February 8-10th and included more than 1,200 exhibitors. Spread across a 2.6-million-square-foot lot, the expo not only hosted tents of exhibitors showing off their products…

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VIDEO: Tractors, vendors, demos and…well…lots of tractors mark return of the World Ag Expo

February 9, 2022

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

The World Ag Expo was held in Tulare County in person this year, Feb. 8-10, after a 2-year COVID hiatus. Our video tries to capture at least some of the sights, sounds and, yes, smells of this massive annual event. …

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FRIDAY POP QUIZ: Test your California water smarts

January 7, 2022

• by Lois Henry

It’s a new year and time to take stock. By that I mean, I’m super busy doing tons of paperwork for taxes and fundraisers and board meetings and haven’t had time to write. So, please enjoy this short WATER QUIZ (no cheating on the Google machine!) and feel free to talk among yourselves. 1. What…

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‘Like a demon that’s always behind us’, the Jackpile Mine toxic legacy continues

December 15, 2021

• by Elizabeth Miller, New Mexico In Depth

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…

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Donate now to SJV Water and DOUBLE YOUR IMPACT

December 14, 2021

• by Lois Henry

SJV Water is at the tail end of our annual fundraiser with NewsMatch, a national organization that helps nonprofit newsrooms raise money. Now through Dec. 31, one-time donations up to $1,000 per individual and recurring gifts (that’s subscriptions for us) are eligible to be matched up to $14,000. That means SJV Water could earn up…

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Groundwater plan managers not rattled by state’s initial negative reviews

November 29, 2021

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water reporting intern

Though the state’s first informal assessment of four San Joaquin Valley groundwater plans noted several — sometimes significant — deficiencies in those plans, groundwater managers were confident they could bring the plans up to snuff. “I did not read it as a failure at all,” said Stephanie Anagnoson, director of water and natural resources for…

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