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“We’re finished”: Some small Kings County farmers fear state’s groundwater law being used against them

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
Last-ditch revisions being considered for the groundwater plan covering Kings County are not only “too little, too late” to avoid state intervention, according to one observer, they could be a death knell for smaller farmers. “We’re finished,” small farmer Doug Freitas said, of how the proposed revisions would affect his farm.  The heart of Freitas’…
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Second San Joaquin Valley groundwater subbasin recommended for state takeover

• 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…
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Water district between two counties and two subbasins forges its own groundwater sustainability path

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
The small Kern-Tulare Water District moved forward recently in breaking away from two other groundwater agencies to form its own independent groundwater sustainability agency (GSA). As the state’s historic Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) turns 10 this year and the 2040 deadline to bring aquifers into balance edges closer, groundwater agencies have splintered and reformed…
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How a state-funded drought program was converted to help farmers take on flood water and permanently cut groundwater pumping

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
When farmers fallowed thousands of acres during the recent drought, most didn’t expect they would be flooding those lands months later. But that’s what happened during last year’s historic floods after the state adapted LandFlex, a drought program, to take on some of the deluge from valley rivers.  “Our original intent with fallow land was…
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New state program aims to help residents before wells go dry in California’s next, inevitable, drought

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
After two multi-year episodes of intense drought over the past decade, there is finally a centralized hub of resources and information for well owners and communities that suffered when their wells went dry.  Before the most recent drought lifted thanks to this year’s historic winter, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) launched its Be Well…
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State pays valley farmers millions to keep water in the ground

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
The state is sending millions to farmers throughout the San Joaquin Valley to keep water in the ground.  The money, paid through the LandFlex program, goes to groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs) and then directly to farmers, paying them for every acre foot they don’t pump. On July 24, the Department of Water Resources announced awards…
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State rejects six San Joaquin Valley groundwater plans, which could bring enforcement action

• by Jesse Vad and Lois Henry, SJV Water
Six San Joaquin Valley groundwater agencies learned Thursday they could be subject to state enforcement action if they don’t redo plans to bring their aquifers back into balance. In its final determinations, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) said the inadequate plans either didn’t do enough to protect water quality, allowed for too much continued…
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