drinking water Archives

Domestic wells still going dry in San Joaquin Valley towns as historically low groundwater levels are slow to rebound

June 8, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

The small town of Tooleville ran out of water and started receiving water hauled in by truck on June 5. It’s the first time the town has needed hauled water since October of 2022. Despite the historic snowpack and storms this year, groundwater levels in some areas are still low and wells are still going…

Floods

Floodwater is filled with icky stuff but won’t likely hurt drinking water long term

May 12, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Floodwater covering parts of the San Joaquin Valley is nasty – filled with animal and septic waste, road oil and other grunge from whatever it’s washed over. Swimming in it is definitely not advised. But over the long term, experts don’t think it will harm groundwater, which is where most valley residents get their drinking…

Drinking Water • Drought

Farm town residents block water rate hike but are still stuck with a massive water debt

March 1, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Residents of the small town of El Porvenir in western Fresno County successfully blocked a water rate hike Tuesday at the Fresno County Board of Supervisors meeting. The western Fresno County community, where nearly half the residents live in poverty, is already carrying a water debt of $400,000. That debt has been incurred over the…

Personalities • Uncategorized

ROOTED IN THE VALLEY: Liset Garcia was set on leaving the valley, but came back to her roots

February 21, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Thank you to SJV Water donors and the James B. McClatchy Foundation for supporting our work. Liset Garcia grew up helping her folks sell freshly grown produce from the San Joaquin Valley in Los Angeles neighborhoods and dreamed of becoming a doctor. Somehow, along the way, the medical student found herself running…

Drinking Water

Lamont’s water future secured with $25.4 million grant from state drinking water fund

February 13, 2023

• by Lois Henry

Most Lamont residents likely had no idea that a mini hoopla held in the middle of town Monday morning next to a newly constructed well was actually a celebration of their children’s and their grandchildren’s futures. “This is generational,” said Lamont Public Utilities District General Manager Scott Taylor. “It allows us to provide clean and…

Uncategorized

2022: So. Much. Water. News!

December 27, 2022

• by Lois Henry

Here we are nearing the end of another year. And the SJV Water team has been taking stock, reflecting and pondering the accumulation of news and events that made up 2022. (Really, we’re taking some much needed time off and I’m, personally, “checkin’ the snow pack” – code for skiing – and needed to stockpile…

Drinking Water • Drought

Prolonged drought creates tsunami of dry wells in San Joaquin Valley

December 6, 2022

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

A wave of dry wells has hit the San Joaquin Valley hard this year putting the valley on track to see the most dry wells since the state began tracking that information in 2013. And while wells have dried up throughout the state, the valley is the epicenter of dry wells. As of the end…

Drinking Water • Drought

State bails out Coalinga for water costs

November 3, 2022

• by SJV Water

The City of Coalinga got word Nov. 2 that the Department of Water Resources would pick up the entire $1.2 million tab for supplemental water the city was forced to buy after drought cut its federal supplies to the bone. DWR press release below: DWR Provides Funding to City of Coalinga for Emergency Water Purchase State…

Drought

Coalinga to keep taps flowing but at a hefty price – nearly $2,000 an acre foot

October 27, 2022

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

The City of Coalinga is shelling out $1.138 million to keep taps flowing this year. The city finally found water it could afford and is buying 600 acre feet of water from Patterson Irrigation District at about $1,900 per acre foot. The deal was finalized and announced Oct. 26. The water was desperately needed as…

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…

NEWS

Domestic wells still going dry in San Joaquin Valley towns as historically low groundwater levels are slow to rebound

Floodwater is filled with icky stuff but won’t likely hurt drinking water long term

Farm town residents block water rate hike but are still stuck with a massive water debt

ROOTED IN THE VALLEY: Liset Garcia was set on leaving the valley, but came back to her roots

Lamont’s water future secured with $25.4 million grant from state drinking water fund

2022: So. Much. Water. News!

Prolonged drought creates tsunami of dry wells in San Joaquin Valley

State bails out Coalinga for water costs

Coalinga to keep taps flowing but at a hefty price – nearly $2,000 an acre foot

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

Subscribe To Our Weekly Newsletter & Get Email Notifications