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Next phase of Friant-Kern Canal repairs begins with intense scrutiny of study contract

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
Negotiations focusing on how Friant Water Authority will repay the Bureau of Reclamation for a $22.2 million study mapping out how to fix the northern and southern portions of the sinking Friant-Kern Canal began Wednesday in Fresno. “We anticipate these talks should go smoothly, and we look forward to the conversation,” Wilson Orvis, Friant’s chief…
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More entities fleeing embattled Tulare County groundwater agency

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
The embattled Eastern Tule Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) may soon have only one member entity left. The City of Porterville and Porterville Irrigation District are set to vote Dec. 17 and Jan. 9, respectively, on a draft joint powers agreement to form their own groundwater agency. The Saucelito and Terra Bella irrigation districts have also…
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Challenger for a seat on the Porterville Irrigation District board loses by one vote

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
Of four Tulare County irrigation district elections held last month, the tightest race was in Porterville.  Jared Plumlee ran against two-term incumbent Tim Witzel for a seat on the Porterville Irrigation District board. The final tally was 111 for Plumlee to 112 for Witzel. While disappointed, Plumlee said he won’t seek a recount. “I have…
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Tulare County groundwater agency board member tips his hat – literally – on his way out

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
The evolution of the Eastern Tule Groundwater Sustainability Agency continued Thursday, as outgoing – and outspoken – board member Matt Leider attended his final meeting sporting a new hat emblazoned with the words “Tea Pot Dome GSA.”  For those who follow the ebb and flow of groundwater agencies in the Tule subbasin, Leider’s hat was…
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Lawsuit accuses Friant Water Authority of holding secret meetings that resulted in massive fees pinned on a handful of Tulare County irrigation districts

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
The legal fracas over who should pay to fix the sinking Friant-Kern Canal grew Friday when three Tulare County irrigation districts sued the Friant Water Authority for imposing steep fees on the districts approved through allegedly secret communications and serial meetings. In a suit filed Nov. 1 the Terra Bella, Saucelito and Porterville irrigation districts…
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State grilling prompts Tulare County groundwater agency to make changes

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
The Eastern Tule Groundwater Sustainability Agency board took several actions at a recent meeting following a severe grilling by state Water Resources Control Board members during the region’s probation hearing on Sept. 17. Board members called subsidence in Eastern Tule’s borders “alarming” and said its groundwater accounting and allocation methods “don’t make sense.” The board…
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Eight years, ten miles and $325 million later, first phase of Friant-Kern Canal fix celebrated

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
Sun-kissed waters flowing south in the Friant-Kern Canal provided a perfect backdrop on a hot summer morning for a ribbon-cutting celebration that drew more than 100 people, including a who’s-who of local, state and federal water managers.  An upbeat mood pervaded the gathering Friday, June 21, which marked the completion of Phase I of the…
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Friant lawsuit over sinking canal altered but moving forward

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
One of multiple charges in a lawsuit that pins blame for the perpetually sinking Friant-Kern Canal on a single Tulare County groundwater agency was recently removed. The Eastern Tule Groundwater Sustainability Agency (ETGSA) hailed the move as vindication. But plaintiffs, the Friant Water Authority and Arvin-Edison Water Storage District, said the change was simply meant…
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A Tulare County groundwater agency on the hot seat for helping sink the Friant-Kern Canal holds private tours for state regulators

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
As the date of reckoning for excessive groundwater pumping in Tulare County grows closer, lobbying by water managers and growers has ramped up. The Friant Water Authority, desperate to protect its newly rebuilt –  yet still sinking – Friant-Kern Canal, has beseeched the Water Resources Control Board to get involved. Specifically, it has asked board…
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Sinking canal has “everyone’s attention” and could put entire Tule subbasin under state control

• by Lois Henry and Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
Fallout over the ever sinking Friant-Kern Canal could affect growers throughout the Tule subbasin regardless of whether they get water from the canal. The state Water Resources Control Board already has the subbasin in its cross hairs for neglecting to create a coordinated plan to bring aquifers into balance under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act…
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