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Madera County project aims to curb groundwater pull by paying farmers to find new uses for land

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
Residents and advocates in the small community of Fairmead have been working for years to find ways to relieve pressure on the area’s aquifer to protect domestic wells. With the latest election, they hope all that planning can finally come to fruition. On Tuesday, Californians voted to approve Proposition 4, $10 billion in bonds for…
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Fresno symposium to focus on water’s impact on farmland values

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
Access to a reliable water supply can make or break an agricultural investment, especially in the San Joaquin Valley where aquifers are coming under intense scrutiny from state and local agencies. Without at least two sources of water, farms and ranches throughout the San Joaquin Valley are quickly losing their value — some by more…
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Challengers seek seats on Tulare County irrigation district boards

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
Board seats on four Tulare County irrigation districts will be on the ballot this election. At least one of the districts has been in the news recently for its connection to a groundwater agency being sued for allegedly not doing enough to stem sinking beneath the Friant-Kern Canal. The Porterville Irrigation District is within the…
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San Joaquin Valley well drillers say they are struggling to meet state air regulations

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
Well drillers are having a hard time updating expensive equipment to meet state air quality regulations. Some are giving up the business while others are moving their trucks at night to avoid run-ins with any potential regulators.  It’s a situation that has added further pressure to the drilling business which is already suffering because of…
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MEETING NOTES: Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority gets SGMA update as detractors question, chide board members

• by Sonia Lemus, freelance for SJV Water
Meeting: Indian WellsValley Groundwater Authority board of directors Date: October 9, 2024 Agenda and Packet: CLICK HERE Public Comments Members of the public told the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority that the board lacked “face” for failing to represent it itself at community events and meetings and this was causing a negative perception of the…
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Effects of water scarcity, regulations discussed at State of Kings County event

• by Monserrat Solis, California Local News Fellow
Editor’s note: Monserrat Solis covers Kings County water issues for SJV Water through the California Local News Fellowship initiative.  Regulatory challenges and increasing water demands are shifting pressures and creating fierce resource competition in the San Joaquin Valley that will affect Kings County’s future, according to one speaker at the State of Kings County event…
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Accusations of “extortion” and “bullying” fly in dispute over who should pay for sinking the Friant-Kern Canal

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
A last-resort attempt to shore up funding for ongoing Friant-Kern Canal repairs has run into a buzzsaw of opposition from several irrigation districts that were stuck with the bill – up to $295 million. A letter disputing the fees accuses the Friant Water Authority, which operates the canal, of, among other things, extortion. “What would…
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Westlands Water District teams up with democrats on massive solar project

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
The powerful, and politically right-leaning Westlands Water District recently teamed up with left-leaning democratic assemblymember Esmeralda Soria on renewable energy.  Her bill, AB 2661, was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom last month and will allow Westlands in western Fresno County  to oversee the generation, storage and transmission of solar energy.  Within Westlands, about 130,000 acres…
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New UC Davis clinic hopes to give small valley farmers some legal fire power to defend their groundwater stake

• by Hannah Frances Johansson, freelance for SJV Water
Nicole Larson is afraid for small farmers. Before enrolling as a law student at University of California, Davis, she served a term on the Turlock City Council where she was appointed to a committee that would decide how to get local farmers to cut back on groundwater pumping. “Everyone agrees that something needs to change,”…
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