wells Archives - SJV Water

Tule River tribe suffers chronic water problems, even in record wet year

September 12, 2023

• 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…

Drinking Water • Floods

Who’s in charge? Unanswered questions spark frustration as weeks of water disruption have dragged into months for residents of Springville

August 15, 2023

• 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…

Drought

New state program aims to help residents before wells go dry in California’s next, inevitable, drought

August 7, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

After two multi-year episodes of intense drought over the past decade, there is finally a centralized hub of resources and information for well owners and communities that suffered when their wells went dry. Before the most recent drought lifted thanks to this year’s historic winter, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) launched its Be Well…

Drought • Floods

It may be a record wet year but the state is still dolling out millions to prep for California’s next drought

June 16, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Even as some San Joaquin Valley communities still have flood damage to fix, new drought preparedness funding has been awarded by the state. Millions of dollars are going to local groundwater agencies for farmland retirement and repurposing. And some funding will help update infrastructure in small communities. The state Department of Water Resources announced on…

Drinking Water

Lamont’s water future secured with $25.4 million grant from state drinking water fund

February 13, 2023

• by Lois Henry

Most Lamont residents likely had no idea that a mini hoopla held in the middle of town Monday morning next to a newly constructed well was actually a celebration of their children’s and their grandchildren’s futures. “This is generational,” said Lamont Public Utilities District General Manager Scott Taylor. “It allows us to provide clean and…

Drinking Water • Drought

Water debt doubles for residents of tiny, impoverished west Fresno County towns

October 20, 2022

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Water debt has ballooned to nearly double what it was last year in Cantua Creek and El Porvenir, two small towns in western Fresno County where nearly half the residents live in poverty. The towns were supposed to be getting water from two new wells by now but the project hasn’t been completed so they’ve…

Drought

Kern County reverses course on ag well permitting

June 24, 2022

• by Lois Henry

In a complete turnaround from its stance earlier this week, Kern County late Thursday dropped its requirement that groundwater agencies make certain findings about proposed new agricultural wells before it would consider issuing permits for those wells. The situation had reached a boiling point in the local ag community as the Kern County Environmental Health…

Drought • SGMA

Ag well permitting process still causing confusion in Kern County

June 22, 2022

• by Lois Henry

Kern County hasn’t issued a single agricultural well permit since early April and frustration in the ag community is at a boiling point. Ag well permitting slowed to a crawl up and down the San Joaquin Valley after Gov. Newsom issued an emergency drought order on March 28 that added an extra layer of scrutiny…

Drought • SGMA

How low will it go? Kern agencies worry one district setting groundwater levels too far down

April 16, 2022

• by Lois Henry

Kern County agricultural water districts are giving major side-eye to one of their own over what’s known as “minimum threshold” groundwater levels The grumbling is aimed at the sprawling Semitropic Water Storage District in northwest Kern, where minimum thresholds are set, in some cases, at levels that would allow farmers to pump down the water…

Drought • Groundwater

Gov. Newsom’s drought order brings ag well activity to a standstill in some areas

April 14, 2022

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

Valley groundwater agencies are mired in confusion and concern over Gov. Newsom’s March 28 executive drought order, which added new steps for permitting agricultural wells, according to agencies’ staff. As groundwater agency managers scramble to hash out exactly how to comply with the order, well permits in some areas are stuck in limbo leaving well…

NEWS

Tule River tribe suffers chronic water problems, even in record wet year

Who’s in charge? Unanswered questions spark frustration as weeks of water disruption have dragged into months for residents of Springville

New state program aims to help residents before wells go dry in California’s next, inevitable, drought

It may be a record wet year but the state is still dolling out millions to prep for California’s next drought

Lamont’s water future secured with $25.4 million grant from state drinking water fund

Water debt doubles for residents of tiny, impoverished west Fresno County towns

Kern County reverses course on ag well permitting

Ag well permitting process still causing confusion in Kern County

How low will it go? Kern agencies worry one district setting groundwater levels too far down

Gov. Newsom’s drought order brings ag well activity to a standstill in some areas

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