NEWS

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.  A projected increase in the kind of “atmospheric river” type storms California experienced in the historic 2023 water year could be disastrous for the San Joaquin Valley – or its salvation. The difference depends on whether locals can…
The evolution of the Eastern Tule Groundwater Sustainability Agency continued Thursday, as outgoing – and outspoken – board member Matt Leider attended his final meeting sporting a new hat emblazoned with the words “Tea Pot Dome GSA.”  For those who follow the ebb and flow of groundwater agencies in the Tule subbasin, Leider’s hat was…
by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water and 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.  Water managers in Kings County have heard nothing but crickets from state Water Resources Control Board staff for more than a month. While they would like feedback on how to best revise their groundwater sustainability plans,…
At least one Tulare County groundwater region is doing things right when it comes to protecting residential drinking water wells, according to two advocacy organizations. The Kaweah subbasin, which covers the northern half of Tulare County’s flatlands, earned important endorsements this month from the Community Water Center and Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability. Both…
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.  It seems like an impossible task, cataloging all – or at least most – of the various water projects underway and planned in the San Joaquin Valley including new recharge basins, canals, connections and more. But…
Meeting: Indian WellsValley Groundwater Authority board of directors Date: October 9, 2024 Agenda and Packet: CLICK HERE Public Comments Members of the public told the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority that the board lacked “face” for failing to represent it itself at community events and meetings and this was causing a negative perception of the…
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.  Regulatory challenges and increasing water demands are shifting pressures and creating fierce resource competition in the San Joaquin Valley that will affect Kings County’s future, according to one speaker at the State of Kings County event…
A last-resort attempt to shore up funding for ongoing Friant-Kern Canal repairs has run into a buzzsaw of opposition from several irrigation districts that were stuck with the bill – up to $295 million. A letter disputing the fees accuses the Friant Water Authority, which operates the canal, of, among other things, extortion. “What would…
Nicole Larson is afraid for small farmers. Before enrolling as a law student at University of California, Davis, she served a term on the Turlock City Council where she was appointed to a committee that would decide how to get local farmers to cut back on groundwater pumping. “Everyone agrees that something needs to change,”…
The Eastern Tule Groundwater Sustainability Agency board took several actions at a recent meeting following a severe grilling by state Water Resources Control Board members during the region’s probation hearing on Sept. 17. Board members called subsidence in Eastern Tule’s borders “alarming” and said its groundwater accounting and allocation methods “don’t make sense.” The board…
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