Unlikely source promises (a little) water for the Kern River
If all goes according to plan, there will be water in the Kern River through spring in most years. And not just when Mother Nature dumps a boatload of snow in the Sierras. The City of Bakersfield is poised to ink a deal with Buena Vista Water Storage District that will provide at least some…
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N-i-i-i-i-ce kitty!
Retired Shafter farmer David Bell snapped a photo of what appears to be a young mountain lion as Bell was biking on the Kern River Parkway early Tuesday morning. You need to login to view the rest of the content. Please Login. Not a Member? Join Us
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Clean water advocates hoping to safeguard SAFER funding
Just when it looked like small drinking water systems in California were finally getting the long-term help they so desperately need, along came COVID-19. The state is peppered with failing small systems, many serving low-income communities without the resources to repair them. At least one-third of those failing systems are in the San Joaquin Valley,…
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Valley farmers look to Kern River tributary to replenish groundwater
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Could “angel investors” buy a piece of the Friant-Kern Canal?
An investor funding proposal that could substantially increase the Friant-Kern Canal’s historic flow capacity is gaining interest among the Friant Water Authority’s member districts. In theory, that investor money could bump the amount of water that has historically flowed down the canal on the Central Valley’s eastern flank by up to 800 cubic feet per…
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Unpaid bills spiking at some water utilities
Several state legislators have asked the Governor to extend his order prohibiting water shutoffs for nonpayment to even the smallest water utilities. Right now, the Governor’s April 2 order applies to water utilities serving 200 or more connections. If Gov. Newsom expands his order, it could have a huge impact in the San Joaquin Valley,…
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“Unqualifiedly” in favor of Pine Flat Dam in 1918
Jon Earnest, editor of the Reedley Exponent, found this gem of a story as he was searching the archives recently for stories on our last pandemic in 1918. Pine Flat Dam had not yet been built. You need to login to view the rest of the content. Please Login. Not a Member? Join Us
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Survey says: COVID-19 impacts on drinking water systems still unknown
More than four months into the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s hard to say exactly what the fallout has been for drinking water utilities. Predictions were dire shortly after Gov. Newsom ordered a moratorium on water shutoffs for non-payment back in early April. Would there be an avalanche of non payers? If so, how…
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Temperance Flat Dam on indefinite hold after report shows it doesn’t pencil out for water users
An investment analysis that looked at how much it would cost water users to build and operate the proposed Temperance Flat Dam northeast of Fresno without government funding was finished earlier this year and quietly passed among water districts, which just as quietly asked the federal government to shelve work on the project. A small…
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WANTED: Water maven to lead Kern nonprofit
A Kern County nonprofit is looking for a new executive director to help educate the public about its most precious resource — water. Beth Brookhart Pandol is retiring after leading the Water Association of Kern County for the past 10 years. She said the executive director doesn’t have to know a ton about water, but…
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