central valley Archives - Page 6 of 28

Funding to protect valley towns from flooding yanked out of budget even as climate change increases threat

February 9, 2023

• by Lois Henry

The same day that water gushed over the banks of Miles Creek swamping the small town of Planada in Merced County last month, the Newsom’s administration pulled $40 million out of its proposed budget that was intended for flood protection projects in the San Joaquin Valley. Advocates had worked for years to get that money…

Drought • Rivers

River water from 150 miles away flows through parts of the Kern River

February 6, 2023

• by Lois Henry

The lower Kern River has flowing through its dry bed after years of drought. But it’s not actually Kern River water….

Development • Policy

Debacle in the hills: How Fresno County officials ignored water warnings and why taxpayers are paying the price

February 6, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water and Gregory Weaver, Fresnoland

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was a collaboration between SJV Water and Fresnoland, a nonprofit news site that covers public policy in Fresno. Thirty years ago, residents told local officials that a boutique subdivision near Friant…

dams • Rivers

State and federal agencies want fish ladder restored on Merced River

February 1, 2023

• by Lois Henry

Two powerful state and federal agencies have stuck their toes, so to speak, into an ongoing lawsuit against Merced Irrigation District demanding the district reopen a long defunct fish ladder. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife and National Marine Fisheries Service both sent letters to Merced Irrigation District after Water Audit California sued the…

State System

Storms bump state allocation to 30%

January 26, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

The state Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced Wednesday, Jan. 26, that it will increase water allocations from 5% to 30% thanks to the recent storms that doused California with rain and snow. The new allocation comes out to 1.27 million acre feet for the State Water Project and 29 of its public water agencies,…

Drought • Personalities

ROOTED IN THE VALLEY: From India to Selma, farming has been a way of life for the Brar family

January 25, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

This is the first in a series of videos we’re calling “Rooted in the Valley.” We hope to highlight family farmers in the San Joaquin Valley, how they came to this area from all over the world and what the future holds as water becomes a key factor in their ability to survive. Thank…

Drought • Rivers

A river appears in the Kern River bed

January 14, 2023

• by Lois Henry

There was water snaking through the Kern River bed through Bakersfield on Friday. The City of Bakersfield was moving water it was obligated to release down the river for power plants through the riverbed and into Truxtun Lakes, the lake at the Park at Riverwalk and Aera Park, according to Daniel Maldonado, a city water…

SGMA

Madera farmers push back on tighter pumping restrictions, county agrees to keep status quo

January 11, 2023

• by Rose Horowitch, SJV Water reporting intern

Facing heated pushback from growers, Madera County officials decided to maintain current groundwater pumping allotments for the next two years rather than reduce allocations over that time. At its Jan. 10 meeting, Board of Supervisors also considered increasing penalties for growers who exceed pumping allocations in the Madera, Chowchilla, and Delta-Mendota subbasins as part of…

Drought

Storms bring river flows, frustration for San Joaquin Valley water managers

January 7, 2023

• by Jesse Vad and Lois Henry, SJV Water

The string of wet storms streaming over California since the end of 2022 have brought the San Joaquin Valley both relief and frustration, depending on location. In the Fresno area, flows out of Millerton Lake into the San Joaquin River have nearly tripled from 600 cubic feet per second (cfs) to 1,600 cfs. In the…

State System

Retiring Delta Watermaster advises “pray for rain” but “plan for drought”

January 6, 2023

• by Rose Horowitch, SJV Water reporting intern

It may be raining now but Michael George, Watermaster for the San Joaquin-Sacramento Delta, urged his colleagues at the State Water Resources Control Board to always be planning for drought. “The Delta mantra: we pray for rain; we’re getting it. We plan for drought; it will be back,” George said during his final report before…

NEWS

Funding to protect valley towns from flooding yanked out of budget even as climate change increases threat

River water from 150 miles away flows through parts of the Kern River

Debacle in the hills: How Fresno County officials ignored water warnings and why taxpayers are paying the price

State and federal agencies want fish ladder restored on Merced River

Storms bump state allocation to 30%

ROOTED IN THE VALLEY: From India to Selma, farming has been a way of life for the Brar family

A river appears in the Kern River bed

Madera farmers push back on tighter pumping restrictions, county agrees to keep status quo

Storms bring river flows, frustration for San Joaquin Valley water managers

Retiring Delta Watermaster advises “pray for rain” but “plan for drought”

Don't miss a drop of water news!