san joaquin valley Archives - Page 4 of 27

Planning and coordination kept Porterville dry during floods but the rest of the San Joaquin Valley remains fragmented

January 8, 2024

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

How did Porterville, where a then raging Tule River cuts through the town, stay dry while so many other San Joaquin Valley communities got flooded out last spring? Planning, coordination and permits. Sounds simple, but it took officials from the city, irrigation district, Tulare County and federal offices years to establish. It paid off as…

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ROOTED IN THE VALLEY: The Hagopians escaped the Armenian Genocide to thrive in the San Joaquin Valley

January 1, 2024

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Richard Hagopian’s family was one of thousands that escaped the Armenian Genocide in the early 1900s and forged a new path in the fertile San Joaquin Valley. It wasn’t an easy life, especially after his father died, leaving Richard the man of the family while still in his teens. But hard work, a successful music…

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Isabella power plant repairs postponed to protect Kern River fish flows – for now

December 15, 2023

• by Lois Henry

Work on a power plant at the base of Isabella Dam has been postponed while plant owners and several public interest groups look for a solution to keep enough water in the Kern River to protect fish. “We are not proceeding on the 18th and are working to find a solution that works for everyone,”…

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Fluctuating Kaweah River flows yield giant catches over Thanksgiving weekend

December 4, 2023

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water

The Kaweah River was reduced to a trickle out of Terminus Dam in late November, stranding catfish, carp and crawdads in shallow pools and giving young anglers a rare look at the critters that travel through the channel. Residents who live along the riverbank in eastern Tulare County could see — and smell — the…

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Republican lawmaker seeks to undo Central Valley Project environmental protections

November 17, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

More than 30 years ago, a piece of federal legislation dropped like a bomb on California’s Central Valley farmers. Reverberations from that legislation continue through today. Just last month, a San Joaquin Valley congressman added language to an appropriations bill that would unwind a key portion of the 1992 Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA)….

Personalities • Uncategorized

Former Kern River Watermaster recognized for his leadership and legacy in Kern County water

November 9, 2023

• by Lois Henry

The usually unflappable Mark Mulkay found himself at a rare loss for words as he accepted both the Water Leader and Water Legacy awards from his peers at the annual Water Association of Kern County dinner held Nov. 8. The recently retired Kern River Watermaster had to take a moment before addressing the audience, made…

SGMA • Uncategorized

Public mostly mum on prospect of state take-over of Kings County groundwater pumping

November 6, 2023

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water

With the state poised to possibly mandate how much water Kings County farmers are allowed to pump, it was surprising how quiet the first public workshop on this contentious issue was. While more than 225 people attended the online workshop Nov. 3, hardly anyone spoke or asked questions of the Water Resources Control Board staff….

Floods • Uncategorized

Paperwork delays blamed for flooding from overgrown rivers. Will the process work better this winter?

November 6, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Entire towns flooded last winter because of permit delays, according to lawmakers and others. Debris from overgrown creeks and waterways up and down the state hadn’t been cleaned out in years for lack of proper permits. When water barreled down those channels, debris piled up, pushing water over levees and into hundreds of homes and…

Floods • Uncategorized

Fresno hospital’s request for $1.23 million in flood relief funding for “X-Ray Rooms” remains unexplained

November 2, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

After this year’s historic storms and devastating floods, the federal government has been swamped with requests from agencies across the San Joaquin Valley seeking reimbursement for repair costs. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provided SJV Water a data sheet that enumerates more than 460 such requests from six counties, including Fresno, Madera, Merced, Kern…

Rivers • Uncategorized

Judge orders Bakersfield to keep water in the Kern River

October 30, 2023

• by Lois Henry

In what one attorney called a “moment of truth” for the City of Bakersfield, a judge ordered the city to keep enough water in the normally dry Kern River to protect fish populations. The 21-page preliminary injunction was issued by Kern County Superior Court Judge Gregory Pulskamp Monday afternoon. Colin Pearce, who represents the city…

NEWS

Planning and coordination kept Porterville dry during floods but the rest of the San Joaquin Valley remains fragmented

ROOTED IN THE VALLEY: The Hagopians escaped the Armenian Genocide to thrive in the San Joaquin Valley

Isabella power plant repairs postponed to protect Kern River fish flows – for now

Fluctuating Kaweah River flows yield giant catches over Thanksgiving weekend

Republican lawmaker seeks to undo Central Valley Project environmental protections

Former Kern River Watermaster recognized for his leadership and legacy in Kern County water

Public mostly mum on prospect of state take-over of Kings County groundwater pumping

Paperwork delays blamed for flooding from overgrown rivers. Will the process work better this winter?

Fresno hospital’s request for $1.23 million in flood relief funding for “X-Ray Rooms” remains unexplained

Judge orders Bakersfield to keep water in the Kern River

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