Uncategorized Archives - Page 9 of 25

Fish don’t care about Kern River rights kerfuffle – just the flows

December 14, 2023

• by Lois Henry

Public interest groups that succeeded in getting a court order mandating 40% of the Kern River’s flows be kept in the river to maintain fish, don’t want to be drawn into a fight over water rights created in the wake of that order. “Fish have no part in the argument between beneficial users. To a…

Uncategorized

TULARE MEETING NOTES: Greater Kaweah groundwater agency still working on water accounting

December 13, 2023

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water

Meeting: Greater Kaweah Groundwater Sustainability Agency Date: Dec. 11, 2023 Agenda: CLICK HERE Board packet: CLICK HERE Main Topic: Discuss and advise staff regarding a possible amendment to the Rules and Regulations. The Kaweah Subbasin is one of six in the San Joaquin Valley facing scrutiny by the state Water Resources Control Board, the enforcement…

Uncategorized

Irascible former San Diego Chargers player who lived under a fig tree and captured Bakersfield’s heart dies at 82

December 12, 2023

• by Lois Henry

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is not about water. But Kenny Graham was near and dear to my heart. I’m sorry he’s gone and I’m glad to have known him. Bakersfield, and the world, lost one of its great inhabitants Monday night. Kenny Graham, a pioneering NFL football player, family man, ride-or-die friend, animal lover and…

Uncategorized

Losing McCarthy and Feinstein is a double-barreled blow for California’s water clout

December 12, 2023

• by Lois Henry

Kevin McCarthy’s chaotic exit from Congress on top of the death of Senator Dianne Feinstein has left California’s water world – and particularly the San Joaquin Valley – in somewhat of a representational void at the federal level. Both politicians brought a lot of firepower in their respective leadership positions as well as wealth of…

Uncategorized

Largest Kern groundwater agency fades to the background as water districts continue to grapple with overpumping

December 11, 2023

• by Lois Henry

What had been the single largest groundwater agency in Kern County – the Kern Groundwater Authority – will be morphing into something new after the first of the year but no one is exactly sure what that new entity will be, nor what its duties will include. “It’s not disbanding but I’m unsure exactly how…

Uncategorized

State releases final environmental review of controversial delta tunnel bringing it closer to a construction date

December 8, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Final environmental documents for the contentious $16 billion Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta tunnel project were released by the Department of Water Resources Friday, clearing a significant hurdle in the years-long process leading up to construction. The Delta Conveyance Project would construct an underground tunnel to move water from the Sacramento River down to the start of…

Uncategorized

Should the state take over groundwater management in Kings County? The clock is ticking to have a say

December 7, 2023

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water

Members of the public have just a few more days to let the state know whether they think groundwater management in Kings County should be taken over by the State Water Resources Control Board. A draft report by Water Board staff is recommending the Tulare Lake subbasin, which covers Kings County, be put on probation…

Uncategorized

Isabella Dam power plant repairs could cut Kern River flows causing a “massive fish kill”

December 4, 2023

• by Lois Henry

Anticipated repairs to the power plant at the base of Isabella Dam could cause a “massive fish kill” along the length of the Kern River as flows would have to be cut to almost nothing for weeks. Isabella Partners, which operates that power plant, submitted a request to the Army Corps of Engineers to cut…

Uncategorized

Fluctuating Kaweah River flows yield giant catches over Thanksgiving weekend

December 4, 2023

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water

The Kaweah River was reduced to a trickle out of Terminus Dam in late November, stranding catfish, carp and crawdads in shallow pools and giving young anglers a rare look at the critters that travel through the channel. Residents who live along the riverbank in eastern Tulare County could see — and smell — the…

Uncategorized

Initial water allocation from state a bit tight but water users hoping for more

December 1, 2023

• by Lois Henry

The start of the 2023-24 water year has been disappointingly dry so far, prompting a low initial water allocation from the Department of Water Resources of just 10% of contracted amounts. DWR operates the State Water Project, which brings water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to 29 public agencies serving 27 million residents. The Dec….

NEWS

Fish don’t care about Kern River rights kerfuffle – just the flows

TULARE MEETING NOTES: Greater Kaweah groundwater agency still working on water accounting

Irascible former San Diego Chargers player who lived under a fig tree and captured Bakersfield’s heart dies at 82

Losing McCarthy and Feinstein is a double-barreled blow for California’s water clout

Largest Kern groundwater agency fades to the background as water districts continue to grapple with overpumping

State releases final environmental review of controversial delta tunnel bringing it closer to a construction date

Should the state take over groundwater management in Kings County? The clock is ticking to have a say

Isabella Dam power plant repairs could cut Kern River flows causing a “massive fish kill”

Fluctuating Kaweah River flows yield giant catches over Thanksgiving weekend

Initial water allocation from state a bit tight but water users hoping for more

Subscribe To Our Weekly Newsletter & Get Email Notifications