Water News - Page 55 of 70 in California's San Joaquin Valley

Kern County Water Agency Director Bruce Hafenfeld dies at 73

February 10, 2021

• by Lois Henry

Bruce Allen Hafenfeld June 12, 1947 – January 19, 2021 https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/bakersfield/obituary.aspx?n=bruce-hafenfeld&pid=197637854 A LIFE WELL LIVED Bruce Allen Hafenfeld was born June 12, 1947, Orange CA. to Bernard Norman Hafenfeld and Barbara Jane Crosier. He went to be in the arms of the Lord January 19, 2021 with his family by his side after losing a…

Rivers

PRESS RELEASE: Artist envisions flowing Kern River with coming exhibit

February 10, 2021

• by Lois Henry

Date: Feb. 9, 2021 From: Bring Back the Kern. Andres Amador, an artist well known for large scale, temporary art installations across the US and the world, is coming to Bakersfield this week to create an installation on the canvas of the dry Kern Riverbed. Titled “Flow,” the installation is meant to evoke the smooth…

Floods • Rivers

Kings River floodwater dispute goes to the state

January 26, 2021

• by Lois Henry

A bid by Kern County farmers to take Kings River floodwater officially got underway Tuesday as state regulators hashed out procedures and next steps with the various parties. An initial hearing had been set for April 15, but may now be pushed back to July, depending on how Administrative Hearing Officer Nicole Kuenzi rules. Kuenzi…

Personalities

Longtime Kern water leader leaving for private sector

January 21, 2021

• by Lois Henry

Kern County’s water community had a shake-up Tuesday when longtime Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water Storage District General Manager Eric Averett announced he is leaving to take a private sector job. This comes on top of the pending retirement of another key local water manager. Richard Diamond, General Manager of North Kern Water Storage District, announced he…

Groundwater • Water Markets

Water games: Madera farmers set to test market

January 20, 2021

• by Lois Henry

Madera County farmers are getting ready to play what could be the “game” of their livelihoods. The county groundwater sustainability agency will launch a groundwater market simulation, or game, next month as a way for growers to see if selling and trading their groundwater helps make the most of what will become a severely limited…

Rivers

Secret Kern River talks underway

January 16, 2021

• by Lois Henry

It’s hard to say what spurred “confidential mediation” over the Kern River that began last week. Could it be the relentless “Bring Back the Kern!” campaign by a group of young, Bakersfield residents? Could it be a sentence in a recent letter from the State Water Resources Control Board that said, in part, it “will…

Rivers

Valley irrigation district OKs plan to harvest mountain stream

January 13, 2021

• by Lois Henry

A plan to bring water from the South Fork of the Kern River through Isabella Lake and down 60 miles to farm fields west of Bakersfield was unanimously approved by the Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water Storage District board of directors on Tuesday. If the environmental documents supporting that plan survive what is sure to be a…

Drought • Groundwater • State System

Valley groundwater may get (small) slice of state’s $15 billion surplus

January 13, 2021

• by Lois Henry

The Governor’s proposal for how to spend California’s $15 billion surplus includes $60 million in direct grants to help replenish groundwater in the valley’s most depleted basins. The measure specifies the money is to be used in “critically over-drafted basins,” which lie mostly in the San Joaquin Valley. Water managers were pleasantly surprised, but not…

Drinking Water

Clean water plans need more public involvement, activists say

January 13, 2021

• by Lois Henry

The stage is finally set for years of talking to be translated into actual clean drinking water for potentially thousands of San Joaquin Valley residents. But activists fear the effort will flop before the curtain rises if more isn’t done to engage the people who are drinking that water. The issue is nitrate, which is …

Drinking Water

COVID-19 relief includes money for water bill debt. Will it be enough?

January 12, 2021

• by Lois Henry

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…

NEWS

Kern County Water Agency Director Bruce Hafenfeld dies at 73

PRESS RELEASE: Artist envisions flowing Kern River with coming exhibit

Kings River floodwater dispute goes to the state

Longtime Kern water leader leaving for private sector

Water games: Madera farmers set to test market

Secret Kern River talks underway

Valley irrigation district OKs plan to harvest mountain stream

Valley groundwater may get (small) slice of state’s $15 billion surplus

Clean water plans need more public involvement, activists say

COVID-19 relief includes money for water bill debt. Will it be enough?

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