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February 7, 2024

• by Lois Henry

SJV Water was selected as a finalist host newsroom for the California Local News Fellowship. This is a state-funded two-year fellowship administered through UC Berkeley for early career journalists. It pays a generous salary of $60,000 to $65,000 depending on experience, plus benefits. It is open to all California early career journalists, not just UC Berkeley…

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Judge dismisses two claims, keeps key pieces of Kern River lawsuit intact

February 6, 2024

• by Lois Henry

A motion that challenged four claims made in a lawsuit against the City of Bakersfield over how it operates the Kern River got a half-and-half ruling from Kern County Superior Court Judge Gregory Pulskamp Monday evening. However, the heart of the lawsuit – that Bakersfield breached its duties under the Public Trust Doctrine by dewatering…

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“Now rain is like a curse.” Storms rekindle the trauma of last year’s floods for many Tulare County residents

February 5, 2024

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Residents of Woodlake in Tulare County, traumatized by the devastation of last year’s floods, watched in fear last week as storms dumped water on their town, flooding streets. When his street flooded last week, Joshua Diaz got word while he was at work teaching at Porterville High School. He rushed home to blockade his house…

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San Joaquin Valley counties, some still drying out from last year’s floods, brace for another round of heavy rain, snow

February 2, 2024

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

As another storm barrels toward California, local officials are warning residents to stay up to date on weather conditions and be prepared in case of flooding, power outages or other emergencies. An atmospheric river will bring widespread rain and gusty winds throughout the San Joaquin Valley starting Saturday night. The storm will last into Monday,…

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Farmers in Tulare County to test groundwater market they hope could help keep them in business and replenish the aquifer

February 2, 2024

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water

How will selling groundwater help keep more groundwater in the San Joaquin Valley’s already critically overtapped aquifers? Water managers in the Kaweah subbasin in northwestern Tulare County hope to find out by having farmers tinker with a pilot groundwater market program. Kaweah farmers will be joining growers from subbasins up and down the San Joaquin…

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Climate change is pushing more San Joaquin Valley farmers to buy crop insurance as losses mount

February 2, 2024

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

After historic flooding in California’s Tulare Lake subbasin last year, farmers in Kings County alone submitted claims of $86 million in losses for crop insurance. That’s 3.3% of the total gross value of agricultural products listed in the 2022 Kings County crop report. And it’s far above the $8 million in losses reported for 2022,…

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All the farming gizmos, water info and fresh grilled steak a person could want coming to the gigantic World Ag Expo, Feb. 13-15

February 1, 2024

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water

World Ag Expo, known for row after row of shiny, colorful new tractors, will also feature a heavy dose of water-related products and seminars. They’re easy to get to if you don’t mind parking amidst a sea of white trucks spread over 120 acres, or traversing more than 2.6 million square feet of exhibit space…

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Judge leans toward dismissing some – but not key – actions in ongoing Kern River lawsuit

January 31, 2024

• by Lois Henry

Kern County Superior Court Judge Gregory Pulskamp let the battalion of attorneys in court Wednesday know he was inclined to drop at least one cause of action in the ongoing lawsuit brought by several public interest groups against the City of Bakersfield for dewatering the Kern River. But he likely won’t dismiss one of the…

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“Where’s the river?” Bakersfield lowers required Kern River flows pending interim flow agreement

January 25, 2024

• by Lois Henry

Required flows down the Kern River channel were lowered by the City of Bakersfield on Monday as officials have collected more data on how much water is actually needed for the river to get west of town, according to an email from the City Water Resources Department. The move is part of a larger effort…

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Water continues to be a driving force in Kern ag land values – and not in a good way

January 24, 2024

• by Lois Henry

The latest report on agricultural land valuations in Kern County shows water security continues to be a driving force and the direction is mostly downward. Alliance Ag Services LLC, a brokerage and appraisal firm, has been tracking the value of farmland in Kern County by water source, or sources, for nearly two decades. For about…

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Apply by Feb. 25 for the California Local News fellowship and work for SJV Water

Judge dismisses two claims, keeps key pieces of Kern River lawsuit intact

“Now rain is like a curse.” Storms rekindle the trauma of last year’s floods for many Tulare County residents

San Joaquin Valley counties, some still drying out from last year’s floods, brace for another round of heavy rain, snow

Farmers in Tulare County to test groundwater market they hope could help keep them in business and replenish the aquifer

Climate change is pushing more San Joaquin Valley farmers to buy crop insurance as losses mount

All the farming gizmos, water info and fresh grilled steak a person could want coming to the gigantic World Ag Expo, Feb. 13-15

Judge leans toward dismissing some – but not key – actions in ongoing Kern River lawsuit

“Where’s the river?” Bakersfield lowers required Kern River flows pending interim flow agreement

Water continues to be a driving force in Kern ag land values – and not in a good way

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