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NEWS

Decision in Boswell-Vidovich pipeline fight set for April 1

• by Lois Henry
A Kings County Superior Court Judge will decide April 1 whether a large water pipeline barreling from Lemoore southwest past Stratford must be reviewed under the state’s California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Regardless of that decision, the full-blown water war that has erupted between Sandridge Partners or J.G. Boswell Company, who are behind this and…
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Friant-Kern Canal fix gets first infusion of state money

• by Lois Henry
The state gave its first shot of cash – $29.8 million – toward fixing the sagging Friant-Kern Canal on Thursday. Another $7.4 million could be added to the pot once the Friant Water Authority, which operates the canal, secures federal funding it is seeking. That would bring this year’s full contribution from the state Department…
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From bulldozers to helicopters, Boswell-Vidovich battles continue

• by Lois Henry
An ongoing tiff over construction of a large water pipeline in Kings County has gone airborne, according to a lawsuit filed by Sandridge Partners. Sandridge, controlled by John Vidovich, is accusing the J.G. Boswell Company of purposely “buzzing” cattle on its lands using a large helicopter. The actions have been ongoing since late January through…
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Deadline to apply for $50M to retire farmland coming up April 1

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
The state has $50 million to spend to retire farmland, which it intends to give out as block grants to local agencies, tribes and nonprofits in the San Joaquin Valley. But there are strings attached to the money. The groups that receive the block grants will have to work directly with farmers and community members…
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Westlands growers fear groundwater power grab by district general manager

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
Divisions are deepening within the giant Westlands Water District as some growers fear the district’s longtime, controversial general manager is amassing too much power. In mid-February, district staff proposed new groundwater rules that would give General Manager Tom Birmingham almost total control over how groundwater is accounted for and to which grower accounts it would…
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Feds not giving “fair share” of water to all contractors, some say

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
In California’s byzantine water world, some water districts are, apparently, more equal than others, to paraphrase George Orwell. That appears to be the case in the federally operated Central Valley Project, particularly when it comes to two main sets of water districts: the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors and the Friant Contractors. On Feb. 27,…
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Kings County judge orders both sides to neutral corners in Boswell-Vidovich ditch bank battle

• by Lois Henry
Heavy equipment blockading a pipeline project from cutting through a canal was ordered removed on Friday and the pipeline project was halted temporarily by a Kings County Superior Court judge. The fight between the Tulare Lake Canal Company, controlled by the J.G. Boswell Company, and Sandridge Partners, controlled by John Vidovich, will be back in…
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Got connections in rural SJV towns? Know how to work a room? The state may have a job for you…

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
If you know your way around impoverished, rural communities with bad drinking water in the San Joaquin Valley, the state needs your help. A highly anticipated $130 million annual program to fix bad drinking water systems in disadvantaged communities has sputtered getting off the ground because the state can’t seem to connect with residents. So,…
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Lois Henry calls it quits!!!!

• by Lois Henry
Longtime water board member in the Santa Cruz area Lois Henry (not this reporter) has resigned her position on the San Lorenzo Valley Water District. Why should San Joaquin Valley readers care? Because she’s a strong leader who brought a lot of practical, common sense to delivering clean, reliable drinking water to her neighbors and,…
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