Water News in California's San Joaquin Valley

Kern River watershed report: 270% of normal

February 1, 2023

• by SJV Water

Kern River watershed watcher Scott Williams has issued his latest Kern River Snow and Water Report and the outlook is good at 270% of normal for this date. Read the full report HERE….

Drought

DWR RELEASE: Second Snow Survey Reflects Boost from Atmospheric Rivers

February 1, 2023

• by Department of Water Resources release

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Department of Water Resources (DWR) today conducted the second snow survey of the season at Phillips Station. The manual survey recorded 85.5 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 33.5 inches, which is 193 percent of average for this location on February 1. The snow water equivalent measures the…

dams • Rivers

State and federal agencies want fish ladder restored on Merced River

February 1, 2023

• by Lois Henry

Two powerful state and federal agencies have stuck their toes, so to speak, into an ongoing lawsuit against Merced Irrigation District demanding the district reopen a long defunct fish ladder. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife and National Marine Fisheries Service both sent letters to Merced Irrigation District after Water Audit California sued the…

State System

Storms bump state allocation to 30%

January 26, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

The state Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced Wednesday, Jan. 26, that it will increase water allocations from 5% to 30% thanks to the recent storms that doused California with rain and snow. The new allocation comes out to 1.27 million acre feet for the State Water Project and 29 of its public water agencies,…

Drought • Personalities

ROOTED IN THE VALLEY: From India to Selma, farming has been a way of life for the Brar family

January 25, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

This is the first in a series of videos we’re calling “Rooted in the Valley.” We hope to highlight family farmers in the San Joaquin Valley, how they came to this area from all over the world and what the future holds as water becomes a key factor in their ability to survive. Thank…

Drought • Rivers

State laws hamper flood flow storage but one San Joaquin Valley water district cut through the red tape. Can others follow?

January 14, 2023

• by Lois Henry

It seems like such a no brainer: Grab the floodwater inundating California right now and shove it into our dried up aquifers for later use. But water plus California never equals simple. Yes, farmers and water districts can, legally, grab water from the state’s overflowing rivers, park it on their land and it will recharge…

Drought • Rivers

A river appears in the Kern River bed

January 14, 2023

• by Lois Henry

There was water snaking through the Kern River bed through Bakersfield on Friday. The City of Bakersfield was moving water it was obligated to release down the river for power plants through the riverbed and into Truxtun Lakes, the lake at the Park at Riverwalk and Aera Park, according to Daniel Maldonado, a city water…

SGMA

Madera farmers push back on tighter pumping restrictions, county agrees to keep status quo

January 11, 2023

• by Rose Horowitch, SJV Water reporting intern

Facing heated pushback from growers, Madera County officials decided to maintain current groundwater pumping allotments for the next two years rather than reduce allocations over that time. At its Jan. 10 meeting, Board of Supervisors also considered increasing penalties for growers who exceed pumping allocations in the Madera, Chowchilla, and Delta-Mendota subbasins as part of…

Drought

Storms bring river flows, frustration for San Joaquin Valley water managers

January 7, 2023

• by Jesse Vad and Lois Henry, SJV Water

The string of wet storms streaming over California since the end of 2022 have brought the San Joaquin Valley both relief and frustration, depending on location. In the Fresno area, flows out of Millerton Lake into the San Joaquin River have nearly tripled from 600 cubic feet per second (cfs) to 1,600 cfs. In the…

State System

Retiring Delta Watermaster advises “pray for rain” but “plan for drought”

January 6, 2023

• by Rose Horowitch, SJV Water reporting intern

It may be raining now but Michael George, Watermaster for the San Joaquin-Sacramento Delta, urged his colleagues at the State Water Resources Control Board to always be planning for drought. “The Delta mantra: we pray for rain; we’re getting it. We plan for drought; it will be back,” George said during his final report before…

NEWS

Kern River watershed report: 270% of normal

DWR RELEASE: Second Snow Survey Reflects Boost from Atmospheric Rivers

State and federal agencies want fish ladder restored on Merced River

Storms bump state allocation to 30%

ROOTED IN THE VALLEY: From India to Selma, farming has been a way of life for the Brar family

State laws hamper flood flow storage but one San Joaquin Valley water district cut through the red tape. Can others follow?

A river appears in the Kern River bed

Madera farmers push back on tighter pumping restrictions, county agrees to keep status quo

Storms bring river flows, frustration for San Joaquin Valley water managers

Retiring Delta Watermaster advises “pray for rain” but “plan for drought”

Subscribe To Our Weekly Newsletter & Get Email Notifications