central valley Archives - Page 13 of 27

SGMA

Going rogue? Groundwater agency says protecting all domestic wells is “unreasonable”

June 1, 2022

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

A San Joaquin Valley groundwater agency may be “going rogue” on the issue of whether it’s responsible to protect all drinking water wells. A letter approved by the board of the Kings River East Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA), which covers eastern Fresno County and a chunk of northern Tulare County, says that it is “unreasonable”…

Drought • SGMA

Drought, groundwater restrictions and – oh yeah, drought – pervade talk at annual Kern water summit

May 19, 2022

• by Lois Henry

Local and state water leaders were practically upbeat two years ago at the last in-person Water Summit put on by the Water Association of Kern County. At least as upbeat as California water folks typically get. They advocated for new ideas, radical partnerships and solutions that could benefit both ag and environmental interests. That was…

Personalities • SGMA

Accusations continue to fly between two valley ag titans in water feud

May 18, 2022

• by Lois Henry

The ongoing water feud between two of Kings County’s biggest farming entities recently spilled into Kern County and up to Sacramento with allegations on both sides of misuse of water and other public resources. In a May 12 letter, the Southwest Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency complains that the J.G. Boswell Company has been pumping and…

SGMA

Water districts bail on Kern’s largest groundwater agency; form their own group

May 5, 2022

• by Lois Henry

Fractures have appeared within Kern County’s largest groundwater agency as pressure mounts for it to show the state how it plans to address the region’s massive groundwater deficit. Four water entities recently notified the Kern Groundwater Authority they were pulling out of the 16-member group to write their own groundwater sustainability plan. That will add…

Groundwater • SGMA

State funding helps pay for valley groundwater projects

May 4, 2022

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Multiple San Joaquin Valley groundwater projects got a significant shot of state funding this week to kickstart recharge, and other, projects. On Monday, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced $150 million was awarded to 20 agencies through its first round of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Grant Program. That includes almost $84 million for 11…

Drought

Kern River run off predicted to be downright miserly

May 3, 2022

• by Lois Henry

Kern River watershed watcher Scott Williams put out what will be his final Kern River Snow and Water Report May 3 and the news was grim. The predicted run off for the Kern River has dwindled from an already meager 33% of normal last month to a downright miserly 28% of normal this month. The…

Drinking Water • Drought

SJV communities get state cash to plug leaks

May 3, 2022

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

An infusion of state cash will plug several leaky drinking water systems that serve rural communities in the San Joaquin Valley in the near future. The money, $22 million, comes from the Small Community Drought Relief Program under the Department of Water Resources (DWR). That money will fund 17 projects throughout the state, with about…

Drought

Third year of drought pushes price of water to $2,000 an acre foot

April 26, 2022

• by Lois Henry

A sale of agricultural water within the Panoche Water District on the upper west side of the San Joaquin Valley hit the eye-popping price of $2,000 per acre foot recently. The buyer bought 668 acre feet in a deal that was brokered by Nat DiBuduo with Alliance Ag Services. The buyer, whose name was withheld,…

Rivers

Kern River among top 10 “most endangered rivers” in the country

April 18, 2022

• by Lois Henry

The lower Kern River earned the dubious distinction of being named one of the country’s 10 “most endangered rivers,” according to American Rivers, a national environmental group that has highlighted rivers suffering pollution and other threats for the past 36 years. The group listed “excessive water withdrawls” as the main threat to the lower Kern,…

Drought • SGMA

How low will it go? Kern agencies worry one district setting groundwater levels too far down

April 16, 2022

• by Lois Henry

Kern County agricultural water districts are giving major side-eye to one of their own over what’s known as “minimum threshold” groundwater levels The grumbling is aimed at the sprawling Semitropic Water Storage District in northwest Kern, where minimum thresholds are set, in some cases, at levels that would allow farmers to pump down the water…

NEWS

Going rogue? Groundwater agency says protecting all domestic wells is “unreasonable”

Drought, groundwater restrictions and – oh yeah, drought – pervade talk at annual Kern water summit

Accusations continue to fly between two valley ag titans in water feud

Water districts bail on Kern’s largest groundwater agency; form their own group

State funding helps pay for valley groundwater projects

Kern River run off predicted to be downright miserly

SJV communities get state cash to plug leaks

Third year of drought pushes price of water to $2,000 an acre foot

Kern River among top 10 “most endangered rivers” in the country

How low will it go? Kern agencies worry one district setting groundwater levels too far down

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