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MEETING NOTES: Canal and well fencing repair costs adding up

• by Sonia Lemus, freelance for SJV Water
Meeting: North Kern Water Storage District board of directors. Date: July 16, 2024 Agenda and board packet: CLICK HERE General Manager Dave Hampton said fencing costs jumped from an average $2,300 a month to $10,457 in July as the district fenced off some of its groundwater wells and has had to repair damage to fencing…
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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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Kern pistachio farmer ordered to pay $30 million in back fees to high desert groundwater agency

• by Lois Henry
An Orange County court on Friday approved an injunction mandating that Mojave Pistachios LLC pay $30 million in back fees owed to the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority for pumping groundwater without an allocation in Kern County’s eastern desert. That $30 million is the accumulation of a $2,130-per-acre-foot fee for non-allocated pumping that was established…
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New program to help Kern residents with nitrate-tainted water

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
A new water quality initiative in Kern County is gearing up to go live in the next few months to help residents whose water is contaminated with nitrates. The state’s nitrate control program launched in 2021. It offers free well testing and water deliveries for residents whose wells test over the limit for nitrates. The…
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MEETING NOTES: New water authority created; state drums up support for delta tunnel

• by Sonia Lemus, freelance for SJV Water
Meetings: Rosedale Rio-Bravo Water Storage District Board of Directors Arvin-Edison board of directors Wheeler Ridge-Maricopa board of directors Cawelo Water District Board of Directors  Date: June 11 through 13, 2024 Rosedale Rio-Bravo Packet: CLICK HERE. Arvin Edison Agenda: CLICK HERE Wheeler Ridge-Maricopa Packet: CLICK HERE Cawelo Agenda: CLICK HERE New authority: Several members of the…
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Isabella Dam construction project lauded by national award

• by SJV Water
The United States Army Corps of Engineers received a national award for safety, innovation and resourcefulness for its design and execution of the reconstruction of the Isabella Dam complex, according to a press release from the Army Corps. The $650-million project that succeeded in taking Isabella Dam off the Army Corps’ list as one of…
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MEETING NOTES: Accusations of secrecy, slander and horse “pucky,” pervade high desert groundwater discussions

• by Sonia Lemus, freelance for SJV Water
Meeting: Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority board of directors Date: May 15, 2024 Agenda and Packet: CLICK HERE First topic: Reassessment of importing water from Little Lake, an area north of the Indian Wells Valley in Inyo County. Background: The Indian Wells Valley is a critically overdrafted basin in eastern Kern County. Its residents and…
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MEETING NOTES: Kern water managers concerned about new well permitting bill; “produced” water report and a new water/solar agreement

• by Sonia Lemus, freelance for SJV Water
Wheeler Ridge-Maricopa Water Storage District Date: April 10, 2024 Agenda and Packet: CLICK HERE Main topic: Concern over proposed new well permitting regulations Steve Torigiani, the district’s attorney, said Assembly Bill 2079, which would add new requirements to agricultural well permitting, could pose problems for the district. Torigiani expressed three main issues with the bill. …
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