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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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Appeal of order to keep water in the Kern River moves forward

• by Lois Henry
Agricultural water districts with rights to the Kern River filed an opening brief recently on their appeal of a local judge’s order last fall to keep enough water in the river for fish. The water districts insist that when Kern County Superior Court Judge Gregory Pulskamp issued a preliminary injunction to keep water in the river,…
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Eight years, ten miles and $325 million later, first phase of Friant-Kern Canal fix celebrated

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
Sun-kissed waters flowing south in the Friant-Kern Canal provided a perfect backdrop on a hot summer morning for a ribbon-cutting celebration that drew more than 100 people, including a who’s-who of local, state and federal water managers.  An upbeat mood pervaded the gathering Friday, June 21, which marked the completion of Phase I of the…
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Madera Judge asks for more information in lawsuit over fees for groundwater projects

• by Hannah Frances Johansson, Freelance for SJV Water
Round one of a lawsuit brought by a group of farmers against Madera County over land assessment fees left both sides standing — for now. On June 18, Madera County Superior Court Judge Brian Enos inched forward on the county’s attempt to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the California United Water Coalition. He granted the…
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Domestic well program gets mini launch in Tule subbasin as water managers worry about one agency’s ability to pay its share long term

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
Board members of Eastern Tule Groundwater Sustainablity Agency signed a deal with Self-Help Enterprises this week to respond to dry or damaged drinking water wells. The deal may, or may not, be extended throughout the Tule subbasin as part of a larger effort by managers to revamp their groundwater plan and submit it to the…
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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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Madera farmers and groundwater agency in limbo waiting for court decision on fees

• by Hannah Frances Johansson, freelance for SJV Water
Clarification: The farmers’ lawsuit alleges the county conducted a Proposition 218 election improperly. The original version of this article was unclear on the lawsuit’s main complaint.   The end of a two-year legal fight over who should pay, and how much, to replenish the groundwater beneath Madera County could be in sight. A motion to…
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