kern county Archives - Page 5 of 7

Rivers

Kern River among top 10 “most endangered rivers” in the country

April 18, 2022

• by Lois Henry

The lower Kern River earned the dubious distinction of being named one of the country’s 10 “most endangered rivers,” according to American Rivers, a national environmental group that has highlighted rivers suffering pollution and other threats for the past 36 years. The group listed “excessive water withdrawls” as the main threat to the lower Kern,…

Drought • SGMA

How low will it go? Kern agencies worry one district setting groundwater levels too far down

April 16, 2022

• by Lois Henry

Kern County agricultural water districts are giving major side-eye to one of their own over what’s known as “minimum threshold” groundwater levels The grumbling is aimed at the sprawling Semitropic Water Storage District in northwest Kern, where minimum thresholds are set, in some cases, at levels that would allow farmers to pump down the water…

Drinking Water • Groundwater

“Massive dollars” needed to clean tainted groundwater from Kern County’s banking projects

February 24, 2022

• by Lois Henry

Southern California’s reliance on Kern County’s prolific groundwater banks for drought insurance could be jeopardized by a chemical known as 1,2,3-trichloropropane (TCP). The cancer-causing agent has been found in several large groundwater banking operations in Kern and a first look at how much it may cost to clean up is a doozy. Up to $465…

Groundwater • SGMA

State gives thumbs down to most San Joaquin Valley groundwater plans

January 28, 2022

• by Jesse Vad and Lois Henry, SJV Water

Groundwater plans for eight “critically overdrafted” subbasins in the San Joaquin Valley were deemed incomplete by the state Department of Water Resources (DWR) on Friday. Plans covering the Kern, Eastern San Joaquin, Merced, Chowchilla, Kings, Kaweah, Tulare Lake and Tule subbasins were all officially labeled as “incomplete” by DWR. On January 21, DWR also deemed…

Drinking Water • Groundwater

This Central Valley Town Has a Carcinogen in its Water. Why Are Solutions So Slow?

December 14, 2021

• by Claudia Boyd-Barrett, California Health Report

This piece is part of a collaboration that includes the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN), California Health Report, Center for Collaborative Investigative Journalism, Circle of Blue, Colorado Public Radio, Columbia Insight, The Counter, High Country News, New Mexico In Depth and SJV Water. The project was made possible by a grant from the Water Foundation…

Rivers

March for the Kern River

November 13, 2021

• by Lois Henry

About 30 hardy souls marched the length of the dry Kern River bed — nine miles — from near Manor Street in east Bakersfield all the way to Stockdale Highway Saturday morning to protest the lack of water in the river. At the start of the hike, the group filled bottles and jugs with water…

Friant-Kern Canal

State ponies up $100 million toward $2.35 billion repair bill for major canals

July 16, 2021

• by Lois Henry

Several of the state’s key canals will get a sprinkle of state money this year and next toward fixing more than $2 billion in damage caused by sinking land from excessive groundwater pumping. On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a massive budget “trailer” bill, which authorizes actual funding for programs and services outlined in the…

Federal System • Floods • Groundwater • State System • Water Banking

Lawsuit claims Kern County Water Agency shorted a key local canal’s volume

June 30, 2021

• by Lois Henry

The Cross Valley Canal is a key cog in the southern San Joaquin Valley’s water machinery. It moves water east and west between the California Aqueduct along Kern County’s western edge to the Kern County Water Agency’s facilities near Manor Street in Bakersfield. Along the way, it also connects with the federally owned Friant-Kern Canal,…

Drought

Drought brings torrent of media attention to the Central Valley

June 17, 2021

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water reporting intern

The drought in California is making headlines every day across the country, and for good reason: Almost the entire state is in severe drought. And the whole San Joaquin Valley is experiencing extreme or exceptional drought, the two worst categories. As journalists set their sights on California, many news stories highlight impacts on farmers, particularly…

Groundwater

Bills to fund canal repairs moving forward

June 11, 2021

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water reporting intern

California’s canals are sinking. Excessive groundwater pumping has collapsed the land beneath several key canals, crimping their ability to move water. Fixing them will be expensive. There are two bills moving through the state Legislature and Congress that could provide some funding. This is the second try for the state bill, Senate Bill 559 by…

NEWS

Kern River among top 10 “most endangered rivers” in the country

How low will it go? Kern agencies worry one district setting groundwater levels too far down

“Massive dollars” needed to clean tainted groundwater from Kern County’s banking projects

State gives thumbs down to most San Joaquin Valley groundwater plans

This Central Valley Town Has a Carcinogen in its Water. Why Are Solutions So Slow?

March for the Kern River

State ponies up $100 million toward $2.35 billion repair bill for major canals

Lawsuit claims Kern County Water Agency shorted a key local canal’s volume

Drought brings torrent of media attention to the Central Valley

Bills to fund canal repairs moving forward

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