COVID-19 relief includes money for water bill debt. Will it be enough?
The COVID-19 relief bill passed last month includes $638 million to address the growing issue of water bill debt across the nation. When the pandemic dug in last spring, many states, including California, issued moratoriums on household water shut offs for lack of payment. That moratorium is still in place in California and water debt…
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California water “stockings” stuffed with federal money
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Proposed agreement could boost funds to fix Friant-Kern Canal
In what was hailed as a “landmark agreement,” farmers in an area of southern Tulare County blamed for sinking the Friant-Kern Canal from excessive groundwater pumping will chip in a hefty amount to help pay for a fix. How hefty could be decided by their payment choice. A longer term payment option would be $200…
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Quest for water in the Kern River continues
The steady drumbeat of support to get more water flowing in the Kern River through Bakersfield continued Tuesday at the State Water Resources Control Board. During the public comment portion of the meeting three speakers from Bakersfield and Kern County’s political realm urged board members to finally hear — and grant — a decade-old petition…
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New land trust focused on groundwater aims to give farmers options
Southern Tulare County farmers inching toward a cliff of groundwater restrictions that could dry up tens of thousands of acres have joined with conservationists to potentially soften their own landing and help improve wildlife habitat at the same time. At least that’s the goal of the newly formed Tule Basin and Water Conservation Trust. “Land…
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Funding for the proposed delta tunnel could be slipping
The Metropolitan Water District likely won’t pick up the slack to cover planning costs for the proposed Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta tunnel That’s a huge shift from MWD’s “all in” support of the previous tunnel project. And MWD’s pull back could create a ripple of iffyness among other State Water Contractors about how much of their…
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SJV Water on TV talking about the Kern River
SJV Water discussed the Kern River on “Kern County In Depth,” a weekly feature on KGET Channel 17. Anchor Jim Scott discussed a new effort by a group of Bakersfield folks to get water in the river more often. The group, called “Bring Back the Kern,” started an online petition to bring awareness to the…
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Kern farmers tapped for $14 million to study delta tunnel
Kern County farmers on Wednesday agreed to chip in $14 million over the next two years to kick off another attempt to move water through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta via tunnel. The level of Kern’s participation in the proposed Delta Conveyance Facility was closely watched, particularly by the giant Metropolitan Water District of Southern California,…
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Madera groundwater plan accepted by state
The public can finally get a look at how Madera officials plan to correct severe groundwater over pumping and replenish aquifers in that area. For some farmers, that correction will mean pumping limits of up to 50 percent from what’s allowed today. Water budgets and water markets will also likely become the norm. That information…
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Pricey tunnel sparks talk of water sales
Getting water through a tunnel under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta would be pricey. So pricey, some Kern County water districts were looking for an “off-ramp” by potentially selling their main state water supply out of the county. The request was shot down at a special meeting on Nov. 6 by the Kern County Water Agency,…
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