NEWS

by Sonia Lemus, freelance for SJV Water
* “Meeting Notes” is a new feature focused on Kern County water districts, paid for by a grant from the James B. McClatchy Foundation. Please consider supporting SJV Water so we can continue this important coverage. Meeting: North Kern Water Storage District board of directors. Date: January 16, 2024 Agenda and board packet: CLICK HERE…
A Tulare County official who’s faced multiple droughts and devastating floods over the past decade appreciated the California Water Commission’s latest “policy paper” on how best to respond to such calamities but she had some advice of her own for the state: Locals need resources – money, equipment, personnel – not just “words on paper.”…
Correction: The nitrate control program is run by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board. An incorrect state agency was listed in the original version of this story. After three years, more of the Central Valley is being folded into the state’s nitrate control program. But program managers and environmental justice advocates say there…
In a state where there seems to be no middle ground on water, one entity has proudly planted a flag of neutrality. Self-Help Enterprises’ focus is apolitical and purely practical — getting water to people in need.  The Visalia-based nonprofit is known for both its quick response in emergencies as well as sticking around to…
Two bills aimed at protecting small towns mired in debt, drinking water contamination and dropping groundwater levels have become law.  Senate Bill 3, authored by state Senator Bill Dodd (D-Napa,) extends water shutoff protections to households in communities with less than 200 water connections. That includes a handful of towns in the San Joaquin Valley…
Just as residents in rural East Orosi are getting some traction on drinking water issues, they are dealing with what they call abusive treatment over sewage services and they’ve had enough. At a recent protest during the East Orosi Community Services District meeting, about 40 residents laid out charges of mistreatment. They alleged the district…
Since the devastating floods of March 10, a community of about 1,000 people has been paying, on average, $150 a month for undrinkable water that is only available intermittently. So far, no government agencies have stepped up to take control of the situation, or give clear answers to residents. Aside from wanting water, residents want…
After two multi-year episodes of intense drought over the past decade, there is finally a centralized hub of resources and information for well owners and communities that suffered when their wells went dry.  Before the most recent drought lifted thanks to this year’s historic winter, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) launched its Be Well…
by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
The state’s money problems are taking a $200 million bite out of funding for drinking and wastewater projects. The state Water Resources Control Board voted Tuesday to approve the cuts as part of a statewide belt tightening effort.  The state was flush with surplus cash back in 2021 which led to $1.3 billion allocated to…
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