central valley Archives - Page 3 of 27

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…

Personalities

Westlands Water District names new leader – Allison Febbo

March 21, 2023

• by SJV Water

Westlands Water District Names New General Manager Fresno, CA — Today, the Board of Directors of Westlands Water District (District) named Allison Febbo as the next General Manager. With nearly 25 years of experience in natural resources, hydrology, and water operations, Ms. Febbo will be the first woman to serve the District as General Manager. …

Floods • Uncategorized

Ugly deeds, politics and high drama swirl amid the waters of a re-emerging Tulare Lake

March 18, 2023

• by Lois Henry

The drama was high on the Tulare Lake bed Saturday as flood waters pushed some landowners to resort to heavy handed and, in one instance, illegal tactics, to try and keep their farm ground dry — even at the expense of other farmers and some small communities. Someone illegally cut the banks of Deer Creek…

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…

Floods • Uncategorized

Storm could “push the limits” of San Joaquin Valley’s flood response systems

March 8, 2023

• by Lois Henry

If the coming storm hits as predicted starting late Thursday, San Joaquin Valley flooding hot spots – and some new ones thanks to subsidence – could be swamped. It’s not because reservoirs above the valley floor are full. The culprits are likely to be the much smaller and typically dry “uncontrolled streams” threaded throughout the…

NEWS

Power outage yet another challenge for besieged residents of tiny Allensworth

Westlands Water District names new leader – Allison Febbo

Ugly deeds, politics and high drama swirl amid the waters of a re-emerging Tulare Lake

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

Storm could “push the limits” of San Joaquin Valley’s flood response systems

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