English | Español

Facebook-f Twitter Linkedin-in Instagram
Login
Donate
Search

NEWS

Madera County project aims to curb groundwater pull by paying farmers to find new uses for land

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
Residents and advocates in the small community of Fairmead have been working for years to find ways to relieve pressure on the area’s aquifer to protect domestic wells. With the latest election, they hope all that planning can finally come to fruition. On Tuesday, Californians voted to approve Proposition 4, $10 billion in bonds for…
Read More

Fresno symposium to focus on water’s impact on farmland values

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
Access to a reliable water supply can make or break an agricultural investment, especially in the San Joaquin Valley where aquifers are coming under intense scrutiny from state and local agencies. Without at least two sources of water, farms and ranches throughout the San Joaquin Valley are quickly losing their value — some by more…
Read More

Public demands more water in the upper Kern River as part of power plant relicensing

• by Lois Henry, SJV Water
Editor’s note: Reporting for this story is supported by a grant from the Upper Kern River Fisheries Enhancement Fund. Residents, boaters, anglers and river lovers had their first say on the overall relicensing applicaiton for Southern California Edison’s power plant above Kernville and they uniformly demanded more water be put back into the upper Kern…
Read More

Kings County groundwater managers ‘flying blind’ with zero input from state Water Board

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water and 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.  Water managers in Kings County have heard nothing but crickets from state Water Resources Control Board staff for more than a month. While they would like feedback on how to best revise their groundwater sustainability plans,…
Read More

San Joaquin Valley well drillers say they are struggling to meet state air regulations

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
Well drillers are having a hard time updating expensive equipment to meet state air quality regulations. Some are giving up the business while others are moving their trucks at night to avoid run-ins with any potential regulators.  It’s a situation that has added further pressure to the drilling business which is already suffering because of…
Read More

One Tulare County groundwater region setting the standard for protecting residential wells

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
At least one Tulare County groundwater region is doing things right when it comes to protecting residential drinking water wells, according to two advocacy organizations. The Kaweah subbasin, which covers the northern half of Tulare County’s flatlands, earned important endorsements this month from the Community Water Center and Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability. Both…
Read More

Effects of water scarcity, regulations discussed at State of Kings County event

• 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.  Regulatory challenges and increasing water demands are shifting pressures and creating fierce resource competition in the San Joaquin Valley that will affect Kings County’s future, according to one speaker at the State of Kings County event…
Read More

Westlands Water District teams up with democrats on massive solar project

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
The powerful, and politically right-leaning Westlands Water District recently teamed up with left-leaning democratic assemblymember Esmeralda Soria on renewable energy.  Her bill, AB 2661, was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom last month and will allow Westlands in western Fresno County  to oversee the generation, storage and transmission of solar energy.  Within Westlands, about 130,000 acres…
Read More

MEETING NOTES: Kern groundwater agencies want to push back subbasin’s probation hearing date

• by Sonia Lemus, freelance for SJV Water
Meeting: Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water Storage District board of directors Date: October 8, 2024 Agenda and Board packet: CLICK HERE Kern subbasin hopes to push back groundwater hearing date Dan Bartel, Rosedale-Rio Bravo’s engineer-manager, informed the board that the Kern subbasin is looking to push back the February 20th hearing date before the state Water Resources…
Read More

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…
Read More
Sponsored

Receive the latest news

Don't miss a drop of water news!

Sign up to get our weekly newsletter ‘The Splash’, plus instant news alerts directly to your inbox.