san joaquin valley Archives - Page 25 of 27

State looks to consolidate small drinking water systems in Fresno

September 27, 2021

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water reporting intern

State drinking water officials have quietly targeted a dozen small, disadvantaged water systems in Fresno for possible state aid. But it could still take up to three years to get through the paperwork and start putting pipes in the ground. “It takes a long time, years, to go from concept to actual construction starting,” acknowledged…

Drought

Water transfers helped farmers survive this year. Now, all eyes are on the coming water year

September 15, 2021

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water reporting intern

Water transfers, trades and sales doubled this year as drought left San Joaquin Valley farmers scrambling for supplies. “This has been kind of an exceptional year for transfers,” said Sam Boland-Brien, program manager at the State Water Resources Control Board’s Division of Water Rights. Boland-Brien said he’s seen about twice the amount of transfers this…

Rivers

Salmon program takes giant leap thanks to land donation

August 30, 2021

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water reporting intern

One farmer has single handedly ramped up the pace of a program trying to save native salmon in the San Joaquin River by donating a key sliver of land to the federal government. Connley Clayton donated about eight acres of his Madera County riverfront land to the government’s San Joaquin River Restoration Program. The land…

SGMA

Bill aimed at repurposing farmland is a step closer to passing

August 20, 2021

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water reporting intern

Lawmakers may be close to passing a bill aimed at helping farmers cope with water restrictions. Assembly Bill 252, the Multibenefit Land Repurposing Incentive Program, would set up a program under the California Department of Conservation to use grant money for repurposing former ag land in critically over drafted groundwater basins. The bill was authored…

Drinking Water • Drought

Drought outpaces plans to fix failing drinking water systems

August 18, 2021

• by Jesse Vad and Lois Henry

This story was produced with funding and support from Fresnoland, for the Fresno Bee. Republishing is encouraged 48 hours after initial posting. A lot has happened over the past five years, but not much has changed in the tiny farmworker town of Okieville. Wells went dry enmasse in Tulare County, including in Okieville, during the last…

Rivers

Public is in the ring in fight over Kern River

August 17, 2021

• by Lois Henry

It was clear during the first hearing on the Kern River Tuesday that the public has a seat at the table as never before. Tuesday’s hearing was mostly procedural — setting out which issues would be sorted first and how. Permeating the discussion at nearly every turn, however, was the public trust doctrine, which gives…

Rivers

Local group files papers in fight over Kern River

August 10, 2021

• by Lois Henry

A new player has entered the legal fray over the Kern River — the public. Actually, it’s a consortium of Bakersfield and other nonprofit, public interest groups that hope to sway the state Water Resources Control Board to, ultimately, re-water the mostly dry Kern River through town. The Flowing Kern Coalition made its debut Tuesday…

Drought

Thousands of water rights holders could be cut off from rivers

July 24, 2021

• by Lois Henry

California water regulators are preparing to do what they’ve been warning about for months – cut the spigot to thousands of water rights holders. The state Water Resources Control Board will consider an emergency order at its August 3 meeting that would bar farmers, cities and others from continuing to tap into rivers that feed…

Drought • Friant-Kern Canal • Rivers

Endangered salmon program waiting, watching for possible call on Millertion water

July 21, 2021

• by Lois Henry

As the summer grinds on, farms, towns and a critical native salmon restoration program that all rely on water from Millerton Lake near Fresno continue to hope their water won’t be needed to fulfill irrigation contracts further up the San Joaquin Valley. But in this parched year, nothing is certain. If water is required out…

Drought

Drought has desperate ranchers asking: “Can I feed tomorrow?”

July 20, 2021

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water reporting intern

California may only be one year into the drought, but its toll feels much bigger to San Joaquin Valley livestock operators. “It’s as bad as we’ve seen it in probably 15 years,” said Andrée Soares, president of Star Creek Land Stewards, Inc. “Animals have to be fed 24 hours a day, seven days a week….

NEWS

State looks to consolidate small drinking water systems in Fresno

Water transfers helped farmers survive this year. Now, all eyes are on the coming water year

Salmon program takes giant leap thanks to land donation

Bill aimed at repurposing farmland is a step closer to passing

Drought outpaces plans to fix failing drinking water systems

Public is in the ring in fight over Kern River

Local group files papers in fight over Kern River

Thousands of water rights holders could be cut off from rivers

Endangered salmon program waiting, watching for possible call on Millertion water

Drought has desperate ranchers asking: “Can I feed tomorrow?”

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