Uncategorized Archives - Page 12 of 25

Paperwork delays blamed for flooding from overgrown rivers. Will the process work better this winter?

November 6, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Entire towns flooded last winter because of permit delays, according to lawmakers and others. Debris from overgrown creeks and waterways up and down the state hadn’t been cleaned out in years for lack of proper permits. When water barreled down those channels, debris piled up, pushing water over levees and into hundreds of homes and…

Floods • Uncategorized

Kern County agencies seek nearly $50 million to repair damage and dig out from last winter’s storms

November 6, 2023

• by Lois Henry

Kern County agencies are still digging out, literally in some cases, from last winter’s storms as they seek federal funding and hope for enough time to fix damage before another wet winter. County agencies submitted requests for reimbursements totalling nearly $50 million for costs to repair damage from the 2023 storms and floods, according to…

Floods • Uncategorized

Fresno hospital’s request for $1.23 million in flood relief funding for “X-Ray Rooms” remains unexplained

November 2, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

After this year’s historic storms and devastating floods, the federal government has been swamped with requests from agencies across the San Joaquin Valley seeking reimbursement for repair costs. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provided SJV Water a data sheet that enumerates more than 460 such requests from six counties, including Fresno, Madera, Merced, Kern…

Rivers • Uncategorized

Judge orders Bakersfield to keep water in the Kern River

October 30, 2023

• by Lois Henry

In what one attorney called a “moment of truth” for the City of Bakersfield, a judge ordered the city to keep enough water in the normally dry Kern River to protect fish populations. The 21-page preliminary injunction was issued by Kern County Superior Court Judge Gregory Pulskamp Monday afternoon. Colin Pearce, who represents the city…

dams • Uncategorized

One Central Valley dam project gets nearly $95 million in funding; two others still in proposal phase

October 20, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Three dam expansion projects could increase water storage for use in the Central Valley by a whopping 304,000 acre feet. Each of the projects would raise existing dams, not build new ones. The project that is furthest along would raise the B.F. Sisk Dam in Merced County to expand San Luis Reservoir storage by 130,000…

Drinking Water • Uncategorized

Fiercely dedicated to the valley, a one-time housing assistance nonprofit emerges as a major player in water solutions

October 19, 2023

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water

In a state where there seems to be no middle ground on water, one entity has proudly planted a flag of neutrality. Self-Help Enterprises’ focus is apolitical and purely practical — getting water to people in need. The Visalia-based nonprofit is known for both its quick response in emergencies as well as sticking around to…

Uncategorized

Kern River interests allowed to squeeze a little extra water into Lake Isabella this winter

October 18, 2023

• by Lois Henry

Kern River irrigators will be able to store more water than usual in Lake Isabella this winter, but not as much as they’d like. Typically, the “carry over” amount is 170,000 acre feet to allow enough room in the lake to handle a heavy winter. Isabella can hold 568,000 acre feet at full capacity. Agricultural…

Drinking Water • Uncategorized

Two new laws aimed at protecting drinking water for small town residents

October 18, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Two bills aimed at protecting small towns mired in debt, drinking water contamination and dropping groundwater levels have become law. Senate Bill 3, authored by state Senator Bill Dodd (D-Napa,) extends water shutoff protections to households in communities with less than 200 water connections. That includes a handful of towns in the San Joaquin Valley…

dams • Uncategorized

Residents below Isabella Dam again swamped by seepage after new pump runs out of gas

October 17, 2023

• by Lois Henry

Residents living below the Isabella Auxiliary Dam were thrilled earlier this month with a temporary fix that finally dried up excessive seepage from the dam that had been swamping septic systems and breeding forests of mosquito-infested weeds around their homes. The didn’t realize how temporary the fix would be, however. After only 12 days without…

Rivers • Uncategorized

Kern River legal wrangling raises questions about how – or whether – the river can serve the needs of people, fish and ag

October 13, 2023

• by Lois Henry

Kern County Superior Court Judge Gregory Pulskamp came back several times during an Oct. 13 hearing to what he saw as a “major issue” in the dispute over keeping water in the Kern River – its plumbing. The plaintiffs, a group of entities headed by Bring Back the Kern, have argued that water could flow…

NEWS

Paperwork delays blamed for flooding from overgrown rivers. Will the process work better this winter?

Kern County agencies seek nearly $50 million to repair damage and dig out from last winter’s storms

Fresno hospital’s request for $1.23 million in flood relief funding for “X-Ray Rooms” remains unexplained

Judge orders Bakersfield to keep water in the Kern River

One Central Valley dam project gets nearly $95 million in funding; two others still in proposal phase

Fiercely dedicated to the valley, a one-time housing assistance nonprofit emerges as a major player in water solutions

Kern River interests allowed to squeeze a little extra water into Lake Isabella this winter

Two new laws aimed at protecting drinking water for small town residents

Residents below Isabella Dam again swamped by seepage after new pump runs out of gas

Kern River legal wrangling raises questions about how – or whether – the river can serve the needs of people, fish and ag

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