Water News - Page 19 of 69 in California's San Joaquin Valley

Floods

Safe – for now: State prisons in Corcoran should stay dry, but flood water is creeping up

May 8, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

As Tulare Lake flood water creeps ever closer to the small city of Corcoran, officials at the two state prisons there have stopped accepting inmate transfers while they develop larger evacuation plans. Together, the prisons house 8,000 people, many with severe mental health and substance abuse issues as well as rival gang members. Moving the…

Floods • Rivers

CLOSED: Public is told to stay out of most valley rivers; closure on a portion of the Kern tries to make room for rafters

May 5, 2023

• by Jesse Vad and Lois Henry, SJV Water

This year’s epic runoff into San Joaquin Valley rivers is creating a tricky tightrope for local agencies tasked with keeping the public safe. How do you let people enjoy the bounty of water while making sure they don’t do anything lethally stupid? Upper Kern River It’s a difficult balance, as Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux…

Floods

Raising the Corcoran levee on sinking ground

May 4, 2023

• by Lois Henry

The Corcoran levee is being raised – again. The fear is it won’t be high enough as runoff from record breaking snowpack above several rivers that feed into the old Tulare Lake gets underway. Before repair work got started the levee stood at 188 feet. That’s four feet shorter than when it was last…

Floods • Uncategorized

Water tour showcases San Joaquin Valley flood damage; preparation for incoming snow melt

May 3, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Throughout a recent tour of key water sites in the San Joaquin Valley, flooding, historic wet conditions and preparation for runoff from record-breaking snowpack were the main topics at almost every stop. The tour is one of several offered by the nonprofit Water Education Foundation. San Luis Reservoir The first stop was San Luis Reservoir…

Floods

Recreation sites above Lake Kaweah closed due to dangerous conditions

May 2, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

The Army Corps of Engineers closed two recreation areas at Lake Kaweah on Tuesday because of dangerous riverbank instability. The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office made the request for closure and the Corps closed down the Cobble Knoll and Slick Rock recreation areas. They will remain closed until conditions are safe again, according to the Corps….

Floods • Rivers

Too little or too much, there’s always controversy brewing over Kern River water

April 28, 2023

• by Lois Henry

It may seem like a no-brainer to enthusiastically allow the Kern Water Bank Authority to take up to 300,000 acre feet of flood water off the Kern River and store it underground as water managers scramble to find homes for this year’s epic runoff. But, alas, nothing is simple with water. The water bank’s April…

Floods

Kern River water heads north through flood channel but won’t hit Tulare Lake – yet

April 27, 2023

• by Lois Henry

The heavily overgrown Kern River flood channel that heads north past Highway 46 and eventually meanders into the southern end of the Tulare Lake bed is filling with water. But it’s not “flood water” and it won’t make it into Tulare Lake, said Tim Ashlock, General Manager of Buena Vista Water Storage District. The district…

Floods

Kaweah River water managers prepare for more high water as the valley heats up

April 27, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Water managers along the Kaweah River system have been frantically maintaining waterways as high flows continue chugging through the system. But even as snowmelt begins and flows increase, there isn’t a risk of flooding yet, according to state officials. The Kaweah River flows from Lake Kaweah through Terminus Dam. Below the dam, it has multiple…

dams • Floods

“Vibration” in Isabella Dam power plant causes temporary halt of Kern River outflows

April 25, 2023

• by Lois Henry

The Army Corps of Engineers will temporarily drop outflows from Isabella Dam to zero starting at midnight Wednesday so the power plant at the dam can shut down, according to Kern River Watermaster Mark Mulkay. Once the power plant, run by Isabella Partners, is down, water will be routed through the dam’s gates and outflows…

Floods • Uncategorized

Kern River “orphan channel” could pose problems during the big melt

April 24, 2023

• by Lois Henry

The Kern River flood channel that heads north to the old Tulare Lake bed from Highway 46 is decidedly not ready for what may become massive runoff. It’s a thicket of trees and shrubs and its banks are a weedy, trash strewn mess. But figuring out who’s in charge of clearing out that 16-mile stretch…

NEWS

Safe – for now: State prisons in Corcoran should stay dry, but flood water is creeping up

CLOSED: Public is told to stay out of most valley rivers; closure on a portion of the Kern tries to make room for rafters

Raising the Corcoran levee on sinking ground

Water tour showcases San Joaquin Valley flood damage; preparation for incoming snow melt

Recreation sites above Lake Kaweah closed due to dangerous conditions

Too little or too much, there’s always controversy brewing over Kern River water

Kern River water heads north through flood channel but won’t hit Tulare Lake – yet

Kaweah River water managers prepare for more high water as the valley heats up

“Vibration” in Isabella Dam power plant causes temporary halt of Kern River outflows

Kern River “orphan channel” could pose problems during the big melt

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