Water News - Page 16 of 70 in California's San Joaquin Valley

Floods • Rivers

Not all Kern River water is being counted the same by water districts

July 26, 2023

• by Lois Henry

Farmers in an agricultural water district northwest of Bakersfield may have South Fork Kern River water stored in a local water bank. Or they may not. It depends on who’s counting the water. The Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water Storage district says that since July 5, up to 37 cubic feet per second of South Fork Kern…

dams • Floods

The story of the Kern River this year was one of historic numbers, luck and long term plans paying off

July 26, 2023

• by Lois Henry

Despite a few white knuckle moments, the Kern River’s historic flows were successfully managed through a combination of incredible timing, long term planning and pure luck, according to Kern River Watermaster Mark Mulkay. During a detailed discussion of Kern River and Isabella Dam operations Tuesday before a packed room, Mulkay led the audience through the…

Drought • SGMA

State pays valley farmers millions to keep water in the ground

July 25, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

The state is sending millions to farmers throughout the San Joaquin Valley to keep water in the ground. The money, paid through the LandFlex program, goes to groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs) and then directly to farmers, paying them for every acre foot they don’t pump. On July 24, the Department of Water Resources announced awards…

dams • Uncategorized

Isabella Dam officially off the No. 1 “at risk” dam list, what will that mean for downstream users?

July 20, 2023

• by Lois Henry

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officially lowered the risk level of Isabella Dam from “highest urgency and risk” to “low urgency” on Thursday. Though an Army Corps spokesman said this means Isabella has returned to “normal operations,” it’s unclear what exactly that will mean for downstream Kern River irrigators as we grind through summer…

Drinking Water

Funding for water projects takes $200 million bite

July 19, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

The state’s money problems are taking a $200 million bite out of funding for drinking and wastewater projects. The state Water Resources Control Board voted Tuesday to approve the cuts as part of a statewide belt tightening effort. The state was flush with surplus cash back in 2021 which led to $1.3 billion allocated to…

Uncategorized

ROOTED IN THE VALLEY: The Lee family fled Laos and made a life, and a successful farm, in the San Joaquin Valley

July 14, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Paul Lee is a second-generation Hmong farmer in Fresno County working to keep his parents’ legacy alive. The Lees were part of a large migration of Hmong families who fled Laos after the United States pulled out of Vietnam. They started off as refugees just trying to survive and found success in the fertile soil…

Floods

Irrigators want to slow the flow of Kern River to bring Lake Isabella to its brim

July 12, 2023

• by Lois Henry

The question of whether Lake Isabella might “spill” has now turned to whether it will fill. The lake is achingly close to being full. It stood at 528,663 acre feet as of Wednesday afternoon – just 39,337 acre feet shy of its full capacity. But it needs to hit that max fill mark for the…

Groundwater

New groundwater fee aims to create “equity” among South San Joaquin Valley farmers but some say it will unfairly devalue their farms

July 12, 2023

• by Lois Henry

A new groundwater fee intended to create “financial equity” between farmers who pay for imported water and those who don’t has stirred anger and concerns about land valuation in the Wheeler Ridge-Maricopa Water Storage District. The new “groundwater service charge” was approved Wednesday by the Wheeler Ridge board of directors. While this particular issue only…

Floods

State sending $20 million to aid Planada flood victims. Residents say ‘Ojalá’

July 12, 2023

• by Central Valley Journalism Collaborative

Editor’s note: This story was reported and edited by the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative, cvlocaljournalism.org, a nonprofit newsroom based in Merced, CA. By Brianna Vaccari and Michelle Morgante Central Valley Journalism Collaborative Planada, Calif. (CVJC) – “Ojalá.” The word, rooted in Arabic, is said by Spanish-speakers to mean “hopefully” or “God willing.” It is said…

Floods

Vast stretches of water that have refilled sections of the old Tulare Lake are actually changing nearby weather

June 30, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

The partially refilled Tulare Lake is so large, with so much water spread over so much land, that it’s changing nearby weather. The lake stretches across the horizon as far as the eye can see in many places and is now about the size of Lake Tahoe. The vast amount of water has started to…

NEWS

Not all Kern River water is being counted the same by water districts

The story of the Kern River this year was one of historic numbers, luck and long term plans paying off

State pays valley farmers millions to keep water in the ground

Isabella Dam officially off the No. 1 “at risk” dam list, what will that mean for downstream users?

Funding for water projects takes $200 million bite

ROOTED IN THE VALLEY: The Lee family fled Laos and made a life, and a successful farm, in the San Joaquin Valley

Irrigators want to slow the flow of Kern River to bring Lake Isabella to its brim

New groundwater fee aims to create “equity” among South San Joaquin Valley farmers but some say it will unfairly devalue their farms

State sending $20 million to aid Planada flood victims. Residents say ‘Ojalá’

Vast stretches of water that have refilled sections of the old Tulare Lake are actually changing nearby weather

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