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Local agencies need more than “words on paper” from the state to help fight drought and flood

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
A Tulare County official who’s faced multiple droughts and devastating floods over the past decade appreciated the California Water Commission’s latest “policy paper” on how best to respond to such calamities but she had some advice of her own for the state: Locals need resources – money, equipment, personnel – not just “words on paper.”…
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State nitrate program expands but public participation is still lacking

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
Correction: The nitrate control program is run by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board. An incorrect state agency was listed in the original version of this story. After three years, more of the Central Valley is being folded into the state’s nitrate control program. But program managers and environmental justice advocates say there…
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How a state-funded drought program was converted to help farmers take on flood water and permanently cut groundwater pumping

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
When farmers fallowed thousands of acres during the recent drought, most didn’t expect they would be flooding those lands months later. But that’s what happened during last year’s historic floods after the state adapted LandFlex, a drought program, to take on some of the deluge from valley rivers.  “Our original intent with fallow land was…
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MEETING NOTES: Desert groundwater agency approves bids for initial work on a 50-mile pipeline to import water

• by Sonia Lemus, freelance for SJV Water
* “Meeting Notes” is a new feature focused on Kern County water districts, funded through a grant from the James B. McClatchy Foundation. Please consider supporting SJV Water to continue this important coverage. Meeting: Indian WellsValley Groundwater Authority board of directors Date: January 10, 2024 Agenda and Packet: CLICK HERE Major topics: Imported Water Pipeline…
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MEETING NOTES: Westlands approves transfers and hears updates on water conditions

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
Meeting: Westlands Water District Board Meeting Date: January 18, 2023 Agenda: CLICK HERE Background: Westlands Water District is one of the largest agricultural districts in the country encompassing more than 600,000 acres in western Fresno County and Kings County. It receives surface water from the federal Central Valley Project via the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The…
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Dairies in Tulare and Kings counties still struggling with damage in wake of last year’s flooding

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
When flood water swamped dairies in Tulare and Kings counties last spring, it destroyed equipment, drowned crops and left a trail of salt-laden muck that farmers are still grappling with.  The ongoing damage is so bad, some dairies may never recover. The biggest problem is the loss of crops and cropland. Farmers lost an entire…
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MEETING NOTES: Wheeler Ridge-Maricopa board members question best approach for new groundwater plans required by the state

• by Sonia Lemus, freelance for SJV Water
* “Meeting Notes” is a new feature focused on Kern County water districts, funded through a grant from the James B. McClatchy Foundation. Please consider supporting SJV Water to continue this important coverage. Meeting: Wheeler Ridge-Maricopa board of directors Date: January 10, 2024 Agenda and Packet: CLICK HERE Major topic: Updates on Kern Subbasin  Background:…
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MEETING NOTES: Rosedale-Rio Bravo board members air tensions with Kern County Water Agency

• by Sonia Lemus, freelance for SJV Water
* “Kern Meeting Notes” is a new feature focused on Kern County water districts, funded through a grant from the James B. McClatchy Foundation. Please consider supporting SJV Water to continue this important coverage. Meeting: Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water Storage District board of directors Meeting Date: January 9, 2023 Agenda and Board packet: CLICK HERE Major…
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MEETING NOTES: Tulare County Water Commissioners take stock of 2023, set goals for 2024

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
Meeting: Tulare County Water Commission  Date: January 8, 2024 Agenda: CLICK HERE Board packet: CLICK HERE  Main Topics: Results of 2023 Tulare County Water Commission Priorities, discussion to establish 2024 priorities.  The Tulare County Water Commission is an advisory body to the Tulare County Board of Supervisors. It examines a wide variety of water issues…
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Planning and coordination kept Porterville dry during floods but the rest of the San Joaquin Valley remains fragmented

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
How did Porterville, where a then raging Tule River cuts through the town, stay dry while so many other San Joaquin Valley communities got flooded out last spring? Planning, coordination and permits. Sounds simple, but it took officials from the city, irrigation district, Tulare County and federal offices years to establish. It paid off as…
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