floods Archives - SJV Water

State allegedly ghosted Merced’s attempts to get permission to clear creeks for months before the floods

June 11, 2024

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Evidence is stacking up against the state in one of multiple lawsuits over last year’s devastating floods in Merced County. One of the most stunning new pieces of evidence is a string of 12 emails from Merced County staff that went ignored by the state for more than four months before last year’s floods. The…

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Last year’s groundwater recharge numbers were impressive but what about this year?

May 28, 2024

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

This current, remarkably average water year – not last year’s barn burner – will be the true test to see how well groundwater agencies are rejuvenating the San Joaquin Valley’s withered aquifers, longtime water managers say. Yes, 2023’s historic wet year did a lot to help groundwater levels rebound in many parts of the valley….

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Woodlake residents sue government entities over flood damage; glad to see progress on infrastructure projects

April 23, 2024

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

More than a year after floods devastated the small town of Woodlake in Tulare County, residents finally feel hopeful about the future thanks to new infrastructure projects and an ongoing lawsuit they are bringing against local governments and other agencies. In March of 2023, homes in northwest Woodlake were hit with floods after historic storms…

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VIDEO: Exploring the south valley’s wetlands, preserves and habitat sanctuaries – a mini tour

April 2, 2024

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

In late February, the nonprofit Central Valley Joint Venture took a group of environmental scientists, advocates and nature enthusiasts on a tour of successful wetland restoration projects in the south San Joaquin Valley. The tour focused on the efforts to reclaim agricultural land for habitat and the possibility of returning more of the valley to…

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Tale of the tape: Where we are – for now – on California’s water roller coaster

February 16, 2024

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Over the past three years, California has been put through a water whiplash, going from multiple years of crippling drought directly into one of the wettest years on record. The data shows how stark the experience was while state officials point to both successes and areas needing improvement that arose during the turbulent last few…

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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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Planning and coordination kept Porterville dry during floods but the rest of the San Joaquin Valley remains fragmented

January 8, 2024

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

How did Porterville, where a then raging Tule River cuts through the town, stay dry while so many other San Joaquin Valley communities got flooded out last spring? Planning, coordination and permits. Sounds simple, but it took officials from the city, irrigation district, Tulare County and federal offices years to establish. It paid off as…

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Merced agencies sought state approval to clear stream beds for more than five years before last winter’s floods. Now they’re suing.

November 28, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

A string of emails appears to show that one state agency stood in the way of stream channel maintenance for more than five years, which may have led to flooding that caused severe damage in Merced County, according to a recent lawsuit. The emails begin in 2018 and go back and forth for years between…

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Legal actions on behalf of San Joaquin Valley flood victims piling up

November 8, 2023

• by Lisa McEwen and Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Nearly 10 months after floods devastated parts of Planada and Woodlake, residents in both small towns have banded together, hired attorneys and are pursuing legal action. More than 250 households are involved between the two towns. Residents in the Tulare County town of Springville are also working toward legal action after flooding knocked out wells…

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Fresno hospital’s request for $1.23 million in flood relief funding for “X-Ray Rooms” remains unexplained

November 2, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

After this year’s historic storms and devastating floods, the federal government has been swamped with requests from agencies across the San Joaquin Valley seeking reimbursement for repair costs. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provided SJV Water a data sheet that enumerates more than 460 such requests from six counties, including Fresno, Madera, Merced, Kern…

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State allegedly ghosted Merced’s attempts to get permission to clear creeks for months before the floods

Last year’s groundwater recharge numbers were impressive but what about this year?

Woodlake residents sue government entities over flood damage; glad to see progress on infrastructure projects

VIDEO: Exploring the south valley’s wetlands, preserves and habitat sanctuaries – a mini tour

Tale of the tape: Where we are – for now – on California’s water roller coaster

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

Planning and coordination kept Porterville dry during floods but the rest of the San Joaquin Valley remains fragmented

Merced agencies sought state approval to clear stream beds for more than five years before last winter’s floods. Now they’re suing.

Legal actions on behalf of San Joaquin Valley flood victims piling up

Fresno hospital’s request for $1.23 million in flood relief funding for “X-Ray Rooms” remains unexplained

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