california Archives

Power outage yet another challenge for besieged residents of tiny Allensworth

March 22, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

The small Tulare County town of Allensworth, which is being surrounded by floodwater, lost power on Tuesday amid powerful winds brought by the most recent storm. The power loss knocked out the community water system so residents had no running water in their homes for much of Tuesday. It was the latest challenge in a…

Floods • Uncategorized

City of Woodlake braces for more water as residents demand answers

March 21, 2023

• by Jesse Vad

Woodlake government officials got an earful Monday night as residents expressed outrage, frustration and fear over what they see as a paralyzed city response to devastating flooding. The City of Woodlake held a public meeting to update residents on flood impacts and extend a local state of emergency in anticipation of yet more incoming storms….

Floods

Residents in small Tulare County towns take brunt of historic flooding

March 17, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Tulare County’s two main reservoirs both “filled and spilled” after the latest series of atmospheric rivers slammed into California starting March 10. The storms dumped rain on the San Joaquin Valley floor and melted at least some of the historic snowpack in upper elevations, swelling rivers and streams that flooded out residents of numerous communities. …

dams • Floods • Uncategorized

Lake Isabella may be the next to “fill and spill” as it is continues filling rapidly

March 16, 2023

• by Lois Henry

Lake Isabella could be the next Central Valley reservoir to “fill and spill” as it is rising rapidly, with an estimated two million acre feet of water hunkered down in a record high snowpack and more storms coming. The Kaweah and Success reservoirs in Tulare County have already reached that point, Success releasing water from…

Floods • Uncategorized

Tiny town of Earlimart has been dry so far, how long will its luck hold out?

March 16, 2023

• by Lois Henry

The flood-prone town of Earlimart has been mostly dry — so far — during this series of massive storms slamming California. Highway 99, which spears through the center of the tiny farmworker village in southern Tulare County, was flooded out by the White River and had to be closed twice after one, followed by another,…

Uncategorized

Water lingo 101

March 14, 2023

• by Lois Henry

There’s a lot cfs talk being thrown around as rivers and creeks swell with recent storms. It occurred to me that maybe not everyone knows that CFS means. I didn’t when I first started covering water. Even if you know it means “cubic feet per second,” how does that help you understand what’s happening in…

Floods • Uncategorized

Kern River outflow from Lake Isabella is ramping up but, no, it is not a “flood release”

March 14, 2023

• by Lois Henry

Outflow from Lake Isabella into the Kern River increased on Tuesday but only because downriver users requested the water, according to Kern River Watermaster Mark Mulkay. Outflow went from about 500 cubic feet per second (cfs) Monday to 1,013 cfs by 9 a.m. Tuesday, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hourly reservoir reports…

Floods • Friant-Kern Canal • Uncategorized

Damage from “severe breach” of Friant-Kern Canal construction at Deer Creek difficult to assess

March 13, 2023

• by Lois Henry

An unfinished section of the new Friant-Kern Canal suffered a “severe breach” at Deer Creek in Tulare County Friday night as the normally dry creek swelled with rain and snowmelt and overran its banks into the construction zone. “This was worse than the one before,” said Johnny Amaral, Chief Operating Officer of the Friant Water…

Drinking Water • SGMA • Uncategorized

How did two valley groundwater plans win recommendations for approval from the state?

March 13, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Most groundwater plans covering the San Joaquin Valley got a big, fat thumbs down from the state. There were two glaring exceptions. Plans by the Westlands Water District and Kings subbasin, which together cover most of the valley portion of Fresno County, got recommendations for approval from the Department of Water Resources. Those areas face…

Groundwater • Uncategorized

Regs relaxed for storing flood water

March 10, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Governor Gavin Newsom is hoping to see the deluge from the ongoing storms socked away for dry times by making it easier to recharge underground aquifers. The governor issued an executive order Friday suspending some regulatory requirements to divert flood water for groundwater recharge. The hope is to recharge as much water as possible since…

NEWS

Power outage yet another challenge for besieged residents of tiny Allensworth

City of Woodlake braces for more water as residents demand answers

Residents in small Tulare County towns take brunt of historic flooding

Lake Isabella may be the next to “fill and spill” as it is continues filling rapidly

Tiny town of Earlimart has been dry so far, how long will its luck hold out?

Water lingo 101

Kern River outflow from Lake Isabella is ramping up but, no, it is not a “flood release”

Damage from “severe breach” of Friant-Kern Canal construction at Deer Creek difficult to assess

How did two valley groundwater plans win recommendations for approval from the state?

Regs relaxed for storing flood water

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