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MEETING NOTES: Canal and well fencing repair costs adding up

• by Sonia Lemus, freelance for SJV Water
Meeting: North Kern Water Storage District board of directors. Date: July 16, 2024 Agenda and board packet: CLICK HERE General Manager Dave Hampton said fencing costs jumped from an average $2,300 a month to $10,457 in July as the district fenced off some of its groundwater wells and has had to repair damage to fencing…
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Okieville water recharge project a “poster child” of partnership to protect residential water

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
More than 40 engineers, landowners, water officials and drinking water advocates gathered along the banks of a full, flowing canal in Tulare County Thursday to inaugurate the Okieville Recharge Basin. But the first order of business on the hot summer day was snow cones.  The 21-acre project is a “poster child” of partnership that will…
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Kings County growers nix local groundwater fees as they face state actions aimed at curbing excessive pumping

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
Hundreds of landowners in the Tulare Lake groundwater subbasin overwhelmingly rejected proposed pumping fees this week that would have added thousands of dollars on top of fees they’re expected to start paying the state in coming months. The fee showdown at the Mid-Kings River Groundwater Sustainability Agency meeting April 23 came just a week after…
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MEETING NOTES: Kern water managers concerned about new well permitting bill; “produced” water report and a new water/solar agreement

• by Sonia Lemus, freelance for SJV Water
Wheeler Ridge-Maricopa Water Storage District Date: April 10, 2024 Agenda and Packet: CLICK HERE Main topic: Concern over proposed new well permitting regulations Steve Torigiani, the district’s attorney, said Assembly Bill 2079, which would add new requirements to agricultural well permitting, could pose problems for the district. Torigiani expressed three main issues with the bill. …
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As companies buy up more valley farmland, the wells get deeper, according to new study

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
Private companies have been snatching up more and more farmland and drilling deeper wells, according to new research.  A newly published study looked at data from 2003-2017 and showed a drastic increase in limited liability companies (LLCs) buying up farmland throughout the state. It also looked at well drilling in the San Joaquin Valley specifically…
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Fresno farmers have one more day to apply for irrigation project money

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
Farmers in the Fresno Irrigation District have through February 16 to apply for federal money to pay for irrigation projects on their land.  The WaterSMART program, administered by the Bureau of Reclamation and the National Resources Conservation Service, is sending money to farmers to update water systems and make them more resilient and conservation-focused. The…
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MEETING NOTES: Rosedale-Rio Bravo seeing groundwater levels come up – mostly

• by Sonia Lemus, freelance for SJV Water
* “Kern Meeting Notes” is a new feature focused on Kern County water districts, funded through a grant from the James B. McClatchy Foundation. Please consider supporting SJV Water to continue this important coverage. Meeting: Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water Storage District board of directors Date: Dec. 12, 2023 Agenda and Board packet: CLICK HERE Major topic:…
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Tule River tribe suffers chronic water problems, even in record wet year

• by Lisa McEwen, SJV Water
Despite a record snowpack that has kept the South Fork of the Tule River flowing at a steady clip, residents of the Tule River Reservation – who get 60 percent of their supplies directly from the river – were recently without water for eight days. The problem, ironically, was too much water. Specifically, from Hurricane…
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Who’s in charge? Unanswered questions spark frustration as weeks of water disruption have dragged into months for residents of Springville

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water
Since the devastating floods of March 10, a community of about 1,000 people has been paying, on average, $150 a month for undrinkable water that is only available intermittently. So far, no government agencies have stepped up to take control of the situation, or give clear answers to residents. Aside from wanting water, residents want…
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