Water News - Page 18 of 69 in California's San Joaquin Valley

Westlands Water District lets bounty of flood water flow to the ocean instead of maximizing groundwater recharge

May 30, 2023

• by Lois Henry

Groundwater recharge – or the lack of it – was a driving force behind the sweep of new board members who took over the behemoth Westlands Water District last fall. “Urgently develop groundwater recharge,” was the top plank in the platform of four candidates who won election in November. And the district has, indeed, built…

Floods

Floodplain projects are “foreign concept” for the south valley

May 26, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

One of the surest ways to corral flooding on the valley floor is floodplain restoration – letting rivers spread out over large swaths of undeveloped land to slow their flow and absorb the water. But even as cities and farms throughout the southern San Joaquin Valley brace for more flooding from an epic snowmelt after…

Floods • Uncategorized

Big melt may be less dramatic – and damaging – than initially thought

May 22, 2023

• by Lois Henry

State flood responders are still planning for the worst, but newly released inundation models are predicting a less dramatic and damaging snow melt as California heads into the summer months. On the Kern River, predictions are now showing releases from Isabella Dam can be maintained at 7,750 cubic feet per second, or less, throughout the rest…

Floods

Kern River headed to intertie Saturday after brief delay

May 18, 2023

• by Lois Henry

Kern River water is expected to go into the intertie, which connects the river to the California Aqueduct, starting Saturday morning. The goal is to keep more flood water from reaching the already flooded Tulare Lake bed in Kings County. The plan had been to begin dumping Kern River water at 500 cubic feet per…

Floods • Uncategorized

Kern County makes river flood maps available to the public

May 17, 2023

• by Lois Henry

The Kern River is rising fast and, so far, the public hasn’t been given very good information on the one question on everyone’s mind: Where’s it going to flood? Wednesday, the Kern County Office of Emergency Services put out detailed, locally built maps that attempt to answer that question under various flow scenarios. The upshot…

Floods

Battle of the berms: Farmers build maze of levees to protect land as snow melt heads for Tulare Lake

May 16, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Growers and water managers in the Tulare Lake area have been moving mountains of dirt to beef up levees and build entirely new ones as they brace for snowmelt this summer. A string of storms in March battered the region, blowing out levees and overwhelming infrastructure as flood water plowed through homes, dairies and crops….

Floods

Floodwater is filled with icky stuff but won’t likely hurt drinking water long term

May 12, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Floodwater covering parts of the San Joaquin Valley is nasty – filled with animal and septic waste, road oil and other grunge from whatever it’s washed over. Swimming in it is definitely not advised. But over the long term, experts don’t think it will harm groundwater, which is where most valley residents get their drinking…

Floods • Uncategorized

Kern River water to go into California Aqueduct to keep it out of Tulare Lake; flows to ramp up mid-June

May 12, 2023

• by Lois Henry

For the first time in 17 years, the Kern River “intertie” will be opened on Monday to release Kern River flood waters into the California Aqueduct, according to the Kern River Watermaster. The move is an attempt to keep more flood water off the already waterlogged Tulare Lake bed as officials anticipate significantly increased Kern…

Floods • Uncategorized

State to pay $17 – $20 million for repeated rebuild of Corcoran levee

May 11, 2023

• by Lois Henry

The state will front Kings County $17-$20 million to pay for raising the Corcoran levee but said it didn’t want to throw “good money after bad” and would require local groundwater agencies do more to stem subsidence, land sinking. Gov. Newsom’s administration made the announcement Thursday as a separate measure among several water-related spending proposals…

Uncategorized

Trove of historic Isabella Dam photos give insider’s view of the dam’s construction

May 11, 2023

• by Lois Henry

The best marketing team in the country could not have timed the release of Gene Verbeet’s and Larry M. Holochwost’s latest history book better. “The Building of Isabella Dam: Taming the Mighty Kern,” a pictorial history in coffee table form went on pre-sale through the Kern River Historical Society a couple of months ago. About…

NEWS

Westlands Water District lets bounty of flood water flow to the ocean instead of maximizing groundwater recharge

Floodplain projects are “foreign concept” for the south valley

Big melt may be less dramatic – and damaging – than initially thought

Kern River headed to intertie Saturday after brief delay

Kern County makes river flood maps available to the public

Battle of the berms: Farmers build maze of levees to protect land as snow melt heads for Tulare Lake

Floodwater is filled with icky stuff but won’t likely hurt drinking water long term

Kern River water to go into California Aqueduct to keep it out of Tulare Lake; flows to ramp up mid-June

State to pay $17 – $20 million for repeated rebuild of Corcoran levee

Trove of historic Isabella Dam photos give insider’s view of the dam’s construction

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