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From bulldozers to helicopters, Boswell-Vidovich battles continue

• by Lois Henry
An ongoing tiff over construction of a large water pipeline in Kings County has gone airborne, according to a lawsuit filed by Sandridge Partners. Sandridge, controlled by John Vidovich, is accusing the J.G. Boswell Company of purposely “buzzing” cattle on its lands using a large helicopter. The actions have been ongoing since late January through…
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Westlands growers fear groundwater power grab by district general manager

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
Divisions are deepening within the giant Westlands Water District as some growers fear the district’s longtime, controversial general manager is amassing too much power. In mid-February, district staff proposed new groundwater rules that would give General Manager Tom Birmingham almost total control over how groundwater is accounted for and to which grower accounts it would…
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Feds not giving “fair share” of water to all contractors, some say

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
In California’s byzantine water world, some water districts are, apparently, more equal than others, to paraphrase George Orwell. That appears to be the case in the federally operated Central Valley Project, particularly when it comes to two main sets of water districts: the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors and the Friant Contractors. On Feb. 27,…
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Skimpy state snowpack points to another long, dry summer

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
California’s Department of Water Resources (DWR) conducted its third snow survey of the season and the outlook is not good for the state’s water users. The survey recorded 35 inches of snow at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada mountains below Lake Tahoe. That’s about 68% of average for this time of year. Statewide, snowpack…
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Snow pack for Kern River watershed at 39% of normal

• by Lois Henry
Local water watcher Scott Williams put out his monthly Kern River watershed report Tuesday and the outlook is skimpy without more storms before May. Williams compiles stats from a number of publicly available sources, including state electronic snow sensors, called “pillows,” stashed in the upper reaches of the watershed and compares them to historic trends….
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“Massive dollars” needed to clean tainted groundwater from Kern County’s banking projects

• by Lois Henry
Southern California’s reliance on Kern County’s prolific groundwater banks for drought insurance could be jeopardized by a chemical known as 1,2,3-trichloropropane (TCP). The cancer-causing agent has been found in several large groundwater banking operations in Kern and a first look at how much it may cost to clean up is a doozy. Up to $465…
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Dry January keeps California in drought territory

• by DWR PRESS RELEASE
The Department of Water Resources did its second snow survey of the season and while the news isn’t terrible, it isn’t great either. Here is DWR’s press release: The Department of Water Resources (DWR) today conducted the second snow survey of the season at Phillips Station. Following a dry January, the manual survey recorded 48.5…
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Groundwater plans for Westlands Water District, three other areas, deemed “incomplete”

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
Groundwater plans for two regions in the western San Joaquin Valley were deemed deficient by the state Department of Water Resources (DWR) on Friday. The Westside subbasin, overseen by Westlands Water District, and the Delta-Mendota subbasin’s plans were officially labeled as “incomplete” by DWR. The state also found groundwater plans for the Paso Robles and…
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