california Archives - Page 14 of 31

SGMA

More Kern County water districts split with larger authority

October 26, 2022

• by Rose Horowitch, SJV Water reporting intern

Two more members of the Kern Groundwater Authority (KGA) announced that they will form their own groundwater sustainability agencies, continuing a pattern of members distancing themselves from Kern County’s largest groundwater agency. The Shafter-Wasco Irrigation District and North Kern Water Storage District will each form their own GSA, it was announced at the Oct. 26…

Rivers

VIDEO: How the lower Kern River is divvied up

October 23, 2022

• by Lois Henry

Flows on the lower Kern River are split up among a hydra of canals starting just west of Hart Park. We talk with local experts who explain who owns those canals and where the water goes under the Law of the River. There’s a lot to learn so we’re splitting the lower Kern into two…

Drought • Rivers

Putah Creek’s experience suggests getting water back in the Kern River could be a “slam dunk”

October 22, 2022

• by Lois Henry

If water rights on the Kern River were challenged in a public trust lawsuit, those rights would lose water, according to a legal expert on the public trust doctrine. Even when water rights go back more than 100 years, which is the case on the Kern River, the public trust doctrine holds sway. “It’s not…

Drinking Water • Drought

Water debt doubles for residents of tiny, impoverished west Fresno County towns

October 20, 2022

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Water debt has ballooned to nearly double what it was last year in Cantua Creek and El Porvenir, two small towns in western Fresno County where nearly half the residents live in poverty. The towns were supposed to be getting water from two new wells by now but the project hasn’t been completed so they’ve…

Drought

Some San Joaquin Valley towns pay hefty price to keep taps flowing

October 15, 2022

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

–California’s crippling three-year drought is revealing the unique water vulnerabilities of small towns across the San Joaquin Valley. And while the state has stepped in to help impoverished communities and residents whose wells have gone dry due to plummeting groundwater levels, the handful of towns on the valley’s west side that rely on surface supplies…

SGMA

Boswell-Vidovich water war blows up over groundwater

October 12, 2022

• by Jesse Vad and Lois Henry, SJV Water

A long simmering water war between Kings County’s two biggest farming entities blew up Wednesday over groundwater when the state rejected the region’s plan to shore up its declining aquifer. The fallout could be significant if the state pursues enforcement, which could include pumping limits, steep fines and fees for all groundwater users in the…

The Law of the River

VIDEO: The Kern River’s work starts long before it hits Bakersfield

September 29, 2022

• by Lois Henry

In our continuing series, we head upstream with Kern River Watermaster Mark Mulkay for a quick look at how some of the structures and obligations on the river above the San Joaquin Valley influence “the law of the river.” NEXT: The lower river – once the river hits the valley, it’s spliced and diced through…

SGMA

State not ponying up enough $$ for farmland retirement, critics say

September 29, 2022

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Though $40 million was added to the state’s farmland retirement pot, some worry it won’t be nearly enough. Gov. Gavin Newsom authorized the funding Tuesday night to be added to the state’s new Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program. The program, initially funded with $50 million in 2021, pays for farmland to be taken out of production…

SGMA

Over pumping will sting Madera growers, just not as much

September 27, 2022

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

There will be a penalty for over pumping groundwater in Madera County, but it won’t be as painful as it could have been. That was the upshot from a nearly three-hour – sometimes fiery – meeting on Tuesday of the Madera County Board of Supervisors. Supervisors opted for a penalty of $100 per acre foot…

Policy

Speaker: Government control creeping ever further into water rights

September 27, 2022

• by Lois Henry

In a fast-paced trip through the evolution of California’s water rights, attorney Valerie Kincaid explained how the system has gone from the “wild, wild west” to one pervaded by ever greater government creep. By expanding its authorities under what had been thought of as several limited court decisions, state government is now essentially dictating operations…

NEWS

More Kern County water districts split with larger authority

VIDEO: How the lower Kern River is divvied up

Putah Creek’s experience suggests getting water back in the Kern River could be a “slam dunk”

Water debt doubles for residents of tiny, impoverished west Fresno County towns

Some San Joaquin Valley towns pay hefty price to keep taps flowing

Boswell-Vidovich water war blows up over groundwater

VIDEO: The Kern River’s work starts long before it hits Bakersfield

State not ponying up enough $$ for farmland retirement, critics say

Over pumping will sting Madera growers, just not as much

Speaker: Government control creeping ever further into water rights

Don't miss a drop of water news!