flooding Archives - Page 2 of 3

Floods

State is working to contain bird disease in flooded Tulare Lake

August 21, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Avian botulism, a lethal disease for birds, has been found spreading throughout Tulare Lake. The disease is caused by bacteria that thrive in shallow, warm waters with decaying organic matter. The bacteria that causes the disease is found naturally in wetland soil. But it doesn’t produce the toxin that causes the disease unless environmental conditions…

Floods

State sending $20 million to aid Planada flood victims. Residents say ‘Ojalá’

July 12, 2023

• by Central Valley Journalism Collaborative

Editor’s note: This story was reported and edited by the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative, cvlocaljournalism.org, a nonprofit newsroom based in Merced, CA. By Brianna Vaccari and Michelle Morgante Central Valley Journalism Collaborative Planada, Calif. (CVJC) – “Ojalá.” The word, rooted in Arabic, is said by Spanish-speakers to mean “hopefully” or “God willing.” It is said…

Uncategorized

Kern River flows to drop again after noise detected in Isabella Dam outlet tunnel

June 26, 2023

• by Lois Henry

Outflows from Lake Isabella into the Kern River will be cut to zero starting at 1 a.m. Tuesday so dam operators can check the source of “funny noises” coming from the outlet tunnel, according to Kern River Watermaster Mark Mulkay and an Army Corps of Engineers press release. “They’ve been hearing funny noises in the…

Floods

Kern River flows ramping down thanks to cool weather but will remain strong through the fall

June 9, 2023

• by Lois Henry

Cooler weather has slowed the anticipated snowmelt above Lake Isabella enough that outflows from the dam will ramp down to 6,500 cubic feet per second starting Sunday, according to Kern River Water Master Mark Mulkay. “We’ve been watching the snow surveys and weather up there and think we’re in really good shape to be able…

Floods

Flooding in Firebaugh has come in a slow, relentless creep as high San Joaquin River flows seep through levees into basements, ruin crops and leave land too sodden to farm

June 9, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

The surging San Joaquin River is proving to be another tough water management problem. The raging waters from this year’s historic rain and snowpack are seeping through levees, destroying crops and threatening the city of Firebaugh. The small city of Firebaugh in Fresno County, sits right up against the river. Seepage is the major problem,…

Groundwater

San Joaquin Valley groundwater will need more than one epic water year to rebound in the long term

June 7, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

With all the flooding, runoff and more snowmelt still to come, everyone’s wondering: How’s the groundwater? Short answer: Better. Long answer: It’s going to take more than one good water year to reach sustainability. After decades of over pumping and two severe, multi-year droughts within five years of each other, San Joaquin Valley aquifers had…

Floods • Uncategorized

Big melt may be less dramatic – and damaging – than initially thought

May 22, 2023

• by Lois Henry

State flood responders are still planning for the worst, but newly released inundation models are predicting a less dramatic and damaging snow melt as California heads into the summer months. On the Kern River, predictions are now showing releases from Isabella Dam can be maintained at 7,750 cubic feet per second, or less, throughout the rest…

Floods • Uncategorized

Kern River water to go into California Aqueduct to keep it out of Tulare Lake; flows to ramp up mid-June

May 12, 2023

• by Lois Henry

For the first time in 17 years, the Kern River “intertie” will be opened on Monday to release Kern River flood waters into the California Aqueduct, according to the Kern River Watermaster. The move is an attempt to keep more flood water off the already waterlogged Tulare Lake bed as officials anticipate significantly increased Kern…

Floods

Officials identify local infrastructure at risk of flooding in Bakersfield

May 9, 2023

• by Lois Henry, SJV Water and John Cox, The Bakersfield Californian

Senior Kern County officials assessing flood risks to critical local infrastructure have identified Bakersfield Heart Hospital as potentially vulnerable to inundation in the weeks ahead, followed to a lesser degree by Mercy Southwest and the former Big West refinery on Rosedale Highway. In case either medical center does flood, a plan has been put in place…

Floods • Uncategorized

Red tape kept Bakersfield from clearing Kern River channel for years

April 19, 2023

• by Lois Henry

It isn’t just water that’s been barreling down the Kern River in this historic water year. Trees, shrubs, trash – even old appliances – have come swirling down the river bed, plucked out by heavy equipment and piled on the banks in massive heaps. City of Bakersfield crews, along with other agencies, worked round the…

NEWS

State is working to contain bird disease in flooded Tulare Lake

State sending $20 million to aid Planada flood victims. Residents say ‘Ojalá’

Kern River flows to drop again after noise detected in Isabella Dam outlet tunnel

Kern River flows ramping down thanks to cool weather but will remain strong through the fall

Flooding in Firebaugh has come in a slow, relentless creep as high San Joaquin River flows seep through levees into basements, ruin crops and leave land too sodden to farm

San Joaquin Valley groundwater will need more than one epic water year to rebound in the long term

Big melt may be less dramatic – and damaging – than initially thought

Kern River water to go into California Aqueduct to keep it out of Tulare Lake; flows to ramp up mid-June

Officials identify local infrastructure at risk of flooding in Bakersfield

Red tape kept Bakersfield from clearing Kern River channel for years

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