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Kern subbasin’s third try at groundwater plan fails to avert state enforcement action

• by Lois Henry
Noting that Kern County residents could suffer “urgent impacts” to their drinking water from continued agricultural groundwater overpumping, staff at the state Water Resources Control Board announced Thursday they are recommending the entire Kern subbasin be put on probation. Probation is the first step toward a possible state pumping take over. A hearing before the…
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Kern County farmland values continue downward slide

• by Lois Henry
Farmland valuations continued their downward trajectory in Kern County, in some cases dropping  a whopping 47.6% over the first six months of 2024, according to the second quarter Kern County Ag Land Values report put out by brokerage firm Alliance Ag Services LLC. Some farmland has dropped back to, or even below, 2005 prices. “I…
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State celebrates five years and secure water for hundreds of thousands of Californians thanks to the SAFER drinking water program

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
State officials, advocates and residents gathered in Porterville on Monday to celebrate the five-year mark of a state drinking water program born of the crippling 2012-2016 drought. That’s when the entire community of east Porterville went dry – for months. There was no government program available to help and nonprofits could only do so much….
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Kings County judge rules state overstepped by requiring farmers to meter, report groundwater extractions

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
The first steps toward possible state control of groundwater pumping in Kings County were derailed under a ruling issued July 15 that said the Water Resources Control Board had overstepped its bounds by requiring meters on wells. The temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction were issued by Kings County Superior Court Judge Kathy Ciuffini in…
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New(ish) Kern groundwater authority gets underway

• by Lois Henry
A somewhat new groundwater authority held its first meeting Monday with a mandate to represent Kern County lands not covered by existing water districts. The so-called “non-districted lands” within the Kern subbasin (the San Joaquin Valley portion of Kern) had sort of been previously represented by the Kern Groundwater Authority KGA. But the KGA has…
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MEETING NOTES: Fish discos, magic water murals and subbasin updates

• by Sonia Lemus, freelance for SJV Water
Meetings: Rosedale Rio-Bravo Water Storage District Board of Directors Arvin-Edison board of directors Cawelo Water District Board of Directors    Date: July 9 through 11, 2024 Rosedale Rio-Bravo Packet: CLICK HERE Arvin Edison Agenda: CLICK HERE Cawelo Agenda: CLICK HERE   “Fish disco” projects praised At the Rosedale Rio-Bravo Water District meeting, water resources manager…
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Protecting domestic wells a key piece of southern Fresno County groundwater agency’s planning

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
CONTENT USE: Republication, or broadcast, of SJV Water content is allowed with use of the reporter’s byline and publication name, SJV Water, and the following tagline: SJV Water is an independent, nonprofit news site covering water in the San Joaquin Valley, www.sjvwater.org. Reach us at sjvwater@sjvwater.or                  …
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