farming Archives - Page 8 of 19

Rivers

Kern River “restoration” wells pumping but not to restore the river

December 28, 2022

• by Lois Henry

An observant reader emailed SJV Water recently asking about a well he noticed near Calloway Drive that was pumping water into the brimful Cross Valley Canal just north of the dry Kern River “all summer long and beyond.” He wondered if that was a well owned by the City of Bakersfield and, if so, where…

Uncategorized

2022: So. Much. Water. News!

December 27, 2022

• by Lois Henry

Here we are nearing the end of another year. And the SJV Water team has been taking stock, reflecting and pondering the accumulation of news and events that made up 2022. (Really, we’re taking some much needed time off and I’m, personally, “checkin’ the snow pack” – code for skiing – and needed to stockpile…

Groundwater

Some San Joaquin Valley farmers are rebelling against groundwater measures

December 21, 2022

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

As water managers throughout the San Joaquin Valley scramble to reign in groundwater pumping, they’re running into a serious roadblock: angry farmers. Across the valley, farmers have decried fees and other measures meant to reduce pumping, threatening not to pay, taking agencies to court and protesting groundwater rules. In some cases, it’s working. In the…

Policy

Kern Groundwater Authority responds to newly-adopted racial equity plan

December 15, 2022

• by Rose Horowitch, SJV Water reporting intern

The Kern Groundwater Authority discussed the anticipated effects of a new state-level racial equity plan at its December 14 board of directors meeting, specifically considering ways to minimize any potential impacts on its operations. On December 8, the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board adopted a racial equity resolution with proposed goals and guidelines…

Friant-Kern Canal

Friant-Kern Canal fix on schedule; water quality guidelines discussed

December 14, 2022

• by Rose Horowitch, SJV Water reporting intern

The Friant-Kern Canal fix is underway and on schedule to be completed before Sept. 1, 2024, according to an update at a recent Friant Water Authority (FWA) Board of Directors meeting. “They’re on track, they’re on schedule,” Stantec Engineering’s Janet Atkinson told the board at its Dec. 9 meeting. ‘We don’t see anything right now…

Drinking Water • Drought

Prolonged drought creates tsunami of dry wells in San Joaquin Valley

December 6, 2022

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

A wave of dry wells has hit the San Joaquin Valley hard this year putting the valley on track to see the most dry wells since the state began tracking that information in 2013. And while wells have dried up throughout the state, the valley is the epicenter of dry wells. As of the end…

Rivers

Bakersfield sued over “dewatering” of Kern River

November 30, 2022

• by Lois Henry

Several public interest groups sued the City of Bakersfield Nov. 30 alleging the city has been derelict in its operation of the Kern River by diverting most of its flows to agriculture and other uses leaving a dry riverbed through the heart of town. “The river is dry, but not because of a lack of…

Groundwater

Kings County passes law to keep its groundwater from being sold beyond its borders

November 29, 2022

• by Lois Henry

In an attempt to stop groundwater from being mined and sold beyond its borders, the Kings County Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance Nov. 29 that will require anyone moving groundwater outside of Kings to get a permit. That includes groundwater pumped to backfill for surface supplies that farmers or water districts export out of…

Personalities

Long-serving, controversial manager of Westlands Water District resigns

November 23, 2022

• by Lois Henry

Longtime Westlands Water District General Manager Tom Birmingham announced Nov. 23 that he will retire as of Dec. 31. “I am retiring with extreme pride in the things Westlands had accomplished over the last two decades,” he wrote in an email announcement. Birmingham had faced the likelihood that a newly-elected majority on the Westlands board…

dams • Rivers

A massive effort – restoring the San Joaquin River

November 22, 2022

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

The San Joaquin River is a vital source of water for agriculture and the environment and it is also home to a unique program that hopes to restore native fish runs. It is a complex program and SJV Water was fortunate to take advantage of a tour offered through the Water Education Foundation Nov. 2-3…

NEWS

Kern River “restoration” wells pumping but not to restore the river

2022: So. Much. Water. News!

Some San Joaquin Valley farmers are rebelling against groundwater measures

Kern Groundwater Authority responds to newly-adopted racial equity plan

Friant-Kern Canal fix on schedule; water quality guidelines discussed

Prolonged drought creates tsunami of dry wells in San Joaquin Valley

Bakersfield sued over “dewatering” of Kern River

Kings County passes law to keep its groundwater from being sold beyond its borders

Long-serving, controversial manager of Westlands Water District resigns

A massive effort – restoring the San Joaquin River

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