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Madera County farmland conversion program gets underway with $10 million in state funds

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
Land owners can now officially submit proposals to Madera County to convert their ag land to less water intensive uses under a new program adopted by the Board of Supervisors Tuesday using $10 million in state funds.  The money comes from the state’s Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program, which aims to reduce reliance on groundwater by…
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Rural Kings County families have a 50-50 chance their well is contaminated with nitrates

• by Monserrat Solis, California Local News Fellow
Editor’s note: Monserrat Solis covers Kings County water issues for SJV Water through the California Local News Fellowship initiative. There’s about a 50-50 chance the tap water that 10,000 rural Kings County residents are drinking is contaminated with nitrates. That’s a type of salt that can be toxic, even lethal to newborns, causing what’s commonly…
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Fresno State study examines how water recharge could help or harm disadvantaged communities on a regional scale

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
A study examining the benefits and drawbacks of building groundwater recharge basins near rural communities is underway in Merced, Madera, Tulare and Fresno counties. The two-year study is a spinoff of an earlier feasibility study focused solely on Fresno County, and both are spearheaded by the California Water Institute at Fresno State University.  “Floodplains and…
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Extreme, prolonged heat is straining drinking water wells throughout the San Joaquin Valley

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
Despite back-to-back good water years, domestic wells are still drying up all across the valley as record breaking heat waves pummel the region.  The state saw slightly above average runoff for the 2023-2024 water year with significant precipitation and major reservoirs largely above average levels. That’s on top of an epic 2022-2023 water year. 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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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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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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San Joaquin Valley counties, some still drying out from last year’s floods, brace for another round of heavy rain, snow

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
As another storm barrels toward California, local officials are warning residents to stay up to date on weather conditions and be prepared in case of flooding, power outages or other emergencies.  An atmospheric river will bring widespread rain and gusty winds throughout the San Joaquin Valley starting Saturday night. The storm will last into Monday,…
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“Surprised and overjoyed” groundwater managers in Madera rejoice at state’s approval of their plan to stabilize the region’s aquifer

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
The Madera subbasin’s groundwater plan was approved by the state on Thursday much to the surprise of water managers and others throughout the valley. It was an unexpected win for groundwater agencies in light of the state’s rejection of six other San Joaquin Valley plans, which has put those subbasins on a trajectory for possible…
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One Central Valley dam project gets nearly $95 million in funding; two others still in proposal phase

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
Three dam expansion projects could increase water storage for use in the Central Valley by a whopping 304,000 acre feet. Each of the projects would raise existing dams, not build new ones. The project that is furthest along would raise the B.F. Sisk Dam in Merced County to expand San Luis Reservoir storage by 130,000…
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