lawsuits Archives - SJV Water

MEETING NOTES: Accusations of secrecy, slander and horse “pucky,” pervade high desert groundwater discussions

May 19, 2024

• 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…

Uncategorized

New Kern County groundwater bank gets underway with another shot of public funding

April 3, 2024

• by Lois Henry

The $171 million Kern Fan Groundwater Storage project – with a unique “eco-twist” – received another chunk of public funding just as the first section of the 1,300-acre project had a formal christening on Wednesday. Officials with Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water Storage District, Irvine Ranch Water District and the Bureau of Reclamation gathered at the project…

Uncategorized

MEETING NOTES: Residents in Kern County desert groundwater basin need to represent their own water interests in ongoing court action

April 1, 2024

• by Sonia Lemus, freelance for SJV Water

Meeting: Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority board of directors Date: March 29, 2024 Agenda and Packet: CLICK HERE Background: The basin depends on 7,650 acre feet of natural inflow each year but users pump out nearly 28,000 acre feet annually, creating a severe overdraft. As the Authority has worked to comply with the Sustainable Groundwater…

Uncategorized

Second San Joaquin Valley groundwater subbasin recommended for state takeover

March 11, 2024

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water

The Friant-Kern Canal was called out specifically as one of the reasons the state should take over pumping in the Tule groundwater subbasin in Tulare County. The recommendation was contained in a recently released staff report to the Water Resources Control Board. While the report stated groundwater management plans covering the subbasin didn’t adequately address…

Floods • Uncategorized

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…

Floods

High water in the Kern River brings new legal issues as local group seeks to keep water in the riverbed

August 10, 2023

• by Lois Henry

A local group that’s suing the City of Bakersfield for how it manages the Kern River, is seeking a court order that would force the city to keep water in the normally dry riverbed as this year’s massive runoff begins to recede. “The relief sought is narrowly focused,” states the motion for a preliminary injunction…

Rivers

Bakersfield to take a deep dive on the Kern River – supplies, demands and rights

February 21, 2023

• by Lois Henry

The Bakersfield City Council at its meeting Wednesday will likely approve a $288,350 contract to conduct a detailed study of the city’s water supplies and demands with a strong focus on Kern River operations. Though the proposed study, on the consent agenda, isn’t in direct response to a lawsuit filed last year against the city…

Rivers

Effort to bring South Fork Kern River water to valley farmland buffeted by lawsuits, called a “joke”

August 3, 2022

• by Lois Henry

Drought cut short a pilot program to bring South Fork Kern River water through Lake Isabella and down 60 miles to farmland northwest of Bakersfield. Now, a raft of lawsuits could upend the environmental impact report in support of the project, which has been a goal of the Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water Storage District since it…

Groundwater • Rivers • Water Banking

Proposed groundwater bank sparks legal challenge

August 17, 2021

• by Lois Henry

A battle of groundwater banks is underway in Kern County with accusations that one is poised to mine the local aquifer and sell water outside the area. The two main combatants are the massive Kern Water Bank, which covers 32-square miles straddling Interstate 5 west of Bakersfield, and the Buena Vista Water Storage District, which…

Drought • Rivers

State board’s curtailment order could have long-reaching effects

August 10, 2021

• by Lois Henry

The real test of the state’s recently passed ban on the use of water from most of the state’s rivers won’t be later this summer when the ban will likely to go into effect, it will be the upcoming water year. And possibly longer term. This irrigation season is nearly over. But growers and water…

NEWS

MEETING NOTES: Accusations of secrecy, slander and horse “pucky,” pervade high desert groundwater discussions

New Kern County groundwater bank gets underway with another shot of public funding

MEETING NOTES: Residents in Kern County desert groundwater basin need to represent their own water interests in ongoing court action

Second San Joaquin Valley groundwater subbasin recommended for state takeover

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

High water in the Kern River brings new legal issues as local group seeks to keep water in the riverbed

Bakersfield to take a deep dive on the Kern River – supplies, demands and rights

Effort to bring South Fork Kern River water to valley farmland buffeted by lawsuits, called a “joke”

Proposed groundwater bank sparks legal challenge

State board’s curtailment order could have long-reaching effects

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