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NEWS

Groups fighting for higher flows in upper Kern River

• by Lois Henry
Boaters and anglers believe Southern California Edison doesn’t leave enough water in a stretch of the Kern River above Kernville to support a healthy fish population. They want the utility to conduct a robust flow study as part of its quest to relicense its power plant. The company is conducting a “Level 1” study of…
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Kings County judge extends restraining order giving growers more time as they fight state pumping restrictions

• by Monserrat Solis, California Local News Fellow
Editor’s note: Monserrat Solis covers Kings County water issues for SJV Water through the California Local News Fellowship initiative. Kings County farmers will have more time to fight requirements from the State Water Resources Control Board to meter their wells and pay extraction fees. A temporary restraining order blocking those measures was extended to Sept. 13 by…
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Westlands uses $1 million in state money to take out orchards, increase recharge

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
Westlands Water District has removed 452 acres of almond orchards thanks to a $1 million grant from the state Department of Water Resources (DWR.) It’s one project in an ongoing list aimed at bringing the district’s groundwater into sustainability.  “The district has been acquiring land since 2022 with the goal of reducing groundwater pumping in…
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Two sides attempt mediation to settle lawsuit over sinking Friant-Kern Canal

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
Attorneys for the Friant Water Authority and Eastern Tule Groundwater Sustainability Agency agreed to mediation on Friday in an attempt to resolve a dispute over how quickly payment for repairs to the sinking Friant-Kern Canal should be handed over. During a status conference in Visalia, both parties told Tulare County Superior Court Judge Bret Hillman…
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New “seismic” listening technique could help researchers map water movement and moisture levels in the soil

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
The constant, rumbling, teeth-gritting traffic on Highway 99 might actually be good for something.  Researchers at Caltech have figured out a way to use vibrations from passing cars to see how much water sits directly beneath the ground’s surface.  In a new paper, researchers used seismic waves from traffic noise coupled with unused fiber optic…
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One Tulare County groundwater agency charges full tilt into recharge

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
Farmers and water managers in the Kaweah subbasin are charging headlong into recharge as a key strategy to both keep the state’s hands off its pumping and position growers to better withstand drought years. Fifteen recharge projects have been completed, are in progress or are in the design phase in the East Kaweah Groundwater Sustainability…
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Bakersfield water bills going up. How much? That’s a little murky

• by Lois Henry
Bakersfield customers of California Water Service could be paying 34.5% more each month to fill their tubs and flush their toilets in coming years. That’s how much the water company is seeking to boost rates over 2026, 2027 and 2028, subject to approval by the California Public Utilities Commission. If approved at the requested amounts,…
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