flood Archives - SJV Water

San Joaquin Valley counties, some still drying out from last year’s floods, brace for another round of heavy rain, snow

February 2, 2024

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

As another storm barrels toward California, local officials are warning residents to stay up to date on weather conditions and be prepared in case of flooding, power outages or other emergencies. An atmospheric river will bring widespread rain and gusty winds throughout the San Joaquin Valley starting Saturday night. The storm will last into Monday,…

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Local agencies need more than “words on paper” from the state to help fight drought and flood

January 23, 2024

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water

A Tulare County official who’s faced multiple droughts and devastating floods over the past decade appreciated the California Water Commission’s latest “policy paper” on how best to respond to such calamities but she had some advice of her own for the state: Locals need resources – money, equipment, personnel – not just “words on paper.”…

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Dairies in Tulare and Kings counties still struggling with damage in wake of last year’s flooding

January 19, 2024

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

When flood water swamped dairies in Tulare and Kings counties last spring, it destroyed equipment, drowned crops and left a trail of salt-laden muck that farmers are still grappling with. The ongoing damage is so bad, some dairies may never recover. The biggest problem is the loss of crops and cropland. Farmers lost an entire…

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MEETING NOTES: Flood repairs going slowly as Cawelo Water District waits on federal relief funds

November 14, 2023

• by Sonia Lemus, freelance for SJV Water

* “Meeting Notes” is a new feature focused on Kern County water districts, paid for by a grant from the James B. McClatchy Foundation. Please consider supporting SJV Water so we can continue this important coverage. Meeting: Cawelo Water District board of directors Date: Oct. 12, 2023 (note, the date on the agenda is a…

Floods • Uncategorized

Kern County agencies seek nearly $50 million to repair damage and dig out from last winter’s storms

November 6, 2023

• by Lois Henry

Kern County agencies are still digging out, literally in some cases, from last winter’s storms as they seek federal funding and hope for enough time to fix damage before another wet winter. County agencies submitted requests for reimbursements totalling nearly $50 million for costs to repair damage from the 2023 storms and floods, according to…

Rivers • Uncategorized

Kern River to get a new Watermaster, but one with a familiar name

August 24, 2023

• by Lois Henry

Art Chianello will step in as the new Kern River Watermaster at the start of the new water year, which is Oct. 1. Chianello, who retired as head of the City of Bakersfield’s Water Resources Department in Sept. 2022, is extremely famliar with the inner workings of the Kern River as a large chunk is…

Floods

High water in the Kern River brings new legal issues as local group seeks to keep water in the riverbed

August 10, 2023

• by Lois Henry

A local group that’s suing the City of Bakersfield for how it manages the Kern River, is seeking a court order that would force the city to keep water in the normally dry riverbed as this year’s massive runoff begins to recede. “The relief sought is narrowly focused,” states the motion for a preliminary injunction…

Floods • Uncategorized

Kern County makes river flood maps available to the public

May 17, 2023

• by Lois Henry

The Kern River is rising fast and, so far, the public hasn’t been given very good information on the one question on everyone’s mind: Where’s it going to flood? Wednesday, the Kern County Office of Emergency Services put out detailed, locally built maps that attempt to answer that question under various flow scenarios. The upshot…

Floods • Rivers

Too little or too much, there’s always controversy brewing over Kern River water

April 28, 2023

• by Lois Henry

It may seem like a no-brainer to enthusiastically allow the Kern Water Bank Authority to take up to 300,000 acre feet of flood water off the Kern River and store it underground as water managers scramble to find homes for this year’s epic runoff. But, alas, nothing is simple with water. The water bank’s April…

Floods

The big melt: San Joaquin Valley eyes historic snowpack with trepidation

April 11, 2023

• by Lois Henry

It’s unlikely that all the snow looming above the San Joaquin Valley will melt and barrel toward the valley floor at the same time. If history is a guide, the melt should be staggered between the San Joaquin, Kings, Tule and Kern river watersheds starting later this month through July. “That’s good,” said California Department…

NEWS

San Joaquin Valley counties, some still drying out from last year’s floods, brace for another round of heavy rain, snow

Local agencies need more than “words on paper” from the state to help fight drought and flood

Dairies in Tulare and Kings counties still struggling with damage in wake of last year’s flooding

MEETING NOTES: Flood repairs going slowly as Cawelo Water District waits on federal relief funds

Kern County agencies seek nearly $50 million to repair damage and dig out from last winter’s storms

Kern River to get a new Watermaster, but one with a familiar name

High water in the Kern River brings new legal issues as local group seeks to keep water in the riverbed

Kern County makes river flood maps available to the public

Too little or too much, there’s always controversy brewing over Kern River water

The big melt: San Joaquin Valley eyes historic snowpack with trepidation

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