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State puts second San Joaquin Valley groundwater basin on probation, with two exceptions

• by Lisa McEwen and Jesse Vad, SJV Water
Farmers in southern Tulare County will face greater pumping scrutiny after the state placed the region on probation following a lengthy hearing in Sacramento on Tuesday. State Water Resources Control Board members acknowledged a new groundwater plan submitted by water managers in August had made great strides in many areas. But the big sticking point…
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More lawyers: New legal team joins fight for the Kern River

• by Lois Henry, SJV Water
A prestigious, international law firm has joined the legal team representing local groups suing the City of Bakersfield over how it operates the Kern River. Morrison Foerster is well-known in environmental advocacy circles for, among other things, its work on the Mono Lake case that resulted in the “National Audubon Society v. Superior Court” decision….
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City of Bakersfield pins blame for dry Kern River on ag districts, tells citizens to go ask them for water

• by Lois Henry, SJV Water
More than 20 people showed up at Bakersfield’s City Council meeting Wednesday night to vent their frustration with a suddenly dry Kern River and ask what more the city can do. The city’s response was hat they should go to the ag districts with river rights. After Council Member Andrae Gonzales led a choreographed Q&A…
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State budget cuts having “profound” impact on water agencies from state to local levels

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
The impacts from California’s financial problems are starting to be revealed as some water agencies are implementing serious cutbacks.  During its August board meeting, staff at the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board announced they are trimming the operations budget by 5% because of state budget cuts.  Meanwhile, San Joaquin Valley groundwater managers are…
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New Mid-Kings River GSA looking for diverse committee members, among its new actions as re-formed agency

• 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. A newly relaunched groundwater agency is looking to form a diverse, 11-member committee made up of land owners to provide input on future water decisions for a large chunk of northern Kings County. The Mid-Kings River Groundwater Sustainability…
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Fresno district marches toward groundwater recharge goals

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
The Fresno Irrigation District is 47 acres closer to its goal of building 1,300 acres of recharge basins capable of sinking 200,000 acre feet of water during a wet years. It celebrated the completion of the 47-acre Kenneson and Sanchez basins on August 21. The addition of those basins brought its total recharge acreage to…
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New “seismic” listening technique could help researchers map water movement and moisture levels in the soil

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
The constant, rumbling, teeth-gritting traffic on Highway 99 might actually be good for something.  Researchers at Caltech have figured out a way to use vibrations from passing cars to see how much water sits directly beneath the ground’s surface.  In a new paper, researchers used seismic waves from traffic noise coupled with unused fiber optic…
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One Tulare County groundwater agency charges full tilt into recharge

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
Farmers and water managers in the Kaweah subbasin are charging headlong into recharge as a key strategy to both keep the state’s hands off its pumping and position growers to better withstand drought years. Fifteen recharge projects have been completed, are in progress or are in the design phase in the East Kaweah Groundwater Sustainability…
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