drought Archives - Page 4 of 16

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…

Groundwater • Uncategorized

State will pay some valley farmers not to farm in attempt to save groundwater

February 28, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

More state money is flowing to the valley to take land out of production in an attempt to ease demand on groundwater. The state Department of Water Resources (DWR) is starting a new program called LandFlex which will pay up to $25 million in incentives to farmers to fallow crops. On February 23, DWR announced…

Drought

More wet weather boosts water supplies for San Joaquin Valley farms and cities

February 22, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Farms and cities that rely on water out of California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta got more good news this week as state and federal water agencies took measures to move more water south. The moves come between a significant series of stories earlier this winter and as the state faces a rare wet, cold front that…

Development

KVPR interviews SJV Water and Fresnoland about story on the perils of building on shaky water

February 21, 2023

• by SJV Water

LISTEN HERE Reporters Jesse Vad and Gregory Weaver talk to Kerry Klein with KVPR about their story on how taxpayers are bailing out homeowners who bought luxury houses in a development that should never have been built on groundwater. Fresno County Supervisors approved the Mira Bella development back in the 1990s despite multiple red flags…

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…

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…

Drought

DWR RELEASE: Second Snow Survey Reflects Boost from Atmospheric Rivers

February 1, 2023

• by Department of Water Resources release

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Department of Water Resources (DWR) today conducted the second snow survey of the season at Phillips Station. The manual survey recorded 85.5 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 33.5 inches, which is 193 percent of average for this location on February 1. The snow water equivalent measures 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

State laws hamper flood flow storage but one San Joaquin Valley water district cut through the red tape. Can others follow?

January 14, 2023

• by Lois Henry

It seems like such a no brainer: Grab the floodwater inundating California right now and shove it into our dried up aquifers for later use. But water plus California never equals simple. Yes, farmers and water districts can, legally, grab water from the state’s overflowing rivers, park it on their land and it will recharge…

NEWS

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

State will pay some valley farmers not to farm in attempt to save groundwater

More wet weather boosts water supplies for San Joaquin Valley farms and cities

KVPR interviews SJV Water and Fresnoland about story on the perils of building on shaky water

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

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

DWR RELEASE: Second Snow Survey Reflects Boost from Atmospheric Rivers

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

State laws hamper flood flow storage but one San Joaquin Valley water district cut through the red tape. Can others follow?

Don't miss a drop of water news!