state water project Archives

Will the giant Westlands Water District “spill” water this year for lack of demand?

June 28, 2023

• by Lois Henry

Westlands Water District, the biggest agricultural water district in the state, could lose 200,000 acre feet of water – or more – for lack of demand, according to an update at its June board meeting. The revelation was made during a briefing by Chief Operating Officer Jose Guiterrez who acknowledged Westlands could have more than…

State System

Storms bump state allocation to 30%

January 26, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

The state Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced Wednesday, Jan. 26, that it will increase water allocations from 5% to 30% thanks to the recent storms that doused California with rain and snow. The new allocation comes out to 1.27 million acre feet for the State Water Project and 29 of its public water agencies,…

Drought

State kicks off water year with anticipated 5% allocation

December 1, 2022

• by Lois Henry

The state Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced Dec. 1 that it would provide 5% of contracted amounts across the board for agricultural and municipal customers in 2023. That may sound bad, but the initial allocation announced for 2022 was 0% for ag and only enough water for municipal contractors to protect health and safety….

Drought

Skimpy state snowpack points to another long, dry summer

March 1, 2022

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

California’s Department of Water Resources (DWR) conducted its third snow survey of the season and the outlook is not good for the state’s water users. The survey recorded 35 inches of snow at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada mountains below Lake Tahoe. That’s about 68% of average for this time of year. Statewide, snowpack…

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…

State System

Kern farmers tapped for $14 million to study delta tunnel

November 24, 2020

• by Lois Henry

Kern County farmers on Wednesday agreed to chip in $14 million over the next two years to kick off another attempt to move water through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta via tunnel. The level of Kern’s participation in the proposed Delta Conveyance Facility was closely watched, particularly by the giant Metropolitan Water District of Southern California,…

Federal System • Rivers • State System

New state water regs cause angst on all sides

April 9, 2020

• by Lois Henry

A new set of water regulations aimed at protecting California’s native fish came down from the state earlier this week to near universal condemnation from both agricultural and environmental water folks. The regulations are contained in a 143-page “incidental take permit” issued by the Department of Fish and Wildlife that lays out when — and…

NEWS

Will the giant Westlands Water District “spill” water this year for lack of demand?

Storms bump state allocation to 30%

State kicks off water year with anticipated 5% allocation

Skimpy state snowpack points to another long, dry summer

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

Kern farmers tapped for $14 million to study delta tunnel

New state water regs cause angst on all sides

Subscribe To Our Weekly Newsletter & Get Email Notifications