Choose your location
SJV Water
Sewage backup in East Orosi renews frustration and allegations of dysfunction
Residents in the small town of East Orosi woke up Sunday to backed-up toilets and yards flooded with wastewater. One of the community’s wastewater pumps stopped working, causing sewage backups for two days until workers were able to fix the pump late Monday night. “It’s really bad. Somebody needs...
Split opinions lodged at hearing on possible state takeover of groundwater use in Tule Subbasin
Four members of the State Water Resources Control Board got an earful on the future of the Tule Subbasin during a public hearing held in Porterville on April 8. A draft staff report released in March recommends probation for the subbasin for failing to get a handle on groundwater overdraft.
Report highlights strong interest in farmland transition funds
There was no shortage of interest in the $90 million in state funding made available through the new Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program, according to the first report released this month on the effort to transition irrigated farmland in overdrafted groundwater basins to less water-intensive uses. The program was created through...
High schoolers deepen their water knowledge at Sacramento conference
Acronyms are so prevalent in the water industry that stringing several together can form an impressive-sounding sentence. That’s exactly what Hanford High School junior Morgan Carrroll did at an April 5 workshop in Sacramento called Water 101 put on by the Water Education Foundation. After winning a game of...
Kern River bike path northern extension – 12 years in the making – finally gets under way
After 12 years of planning, gathering funding then completing and re-doing – and re-doing again – environmental studies, the City of Bakersfield has finally gone out to bid for the northern extension of the Kern River Parkway Trail. “I’m very excited, it’s been a long time coming,” Councilman...
New Kern County groundwater bank gets underway with another shot of public funding
The $171 million Kern Fan Groundwater Storage project – with a unique “eco-twist” – received another chunk of public funding just as the first section of the 1,300-acre project had a formal christening on Wednesday. Officials with Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water Storage District, Irvine Ranch Water District...
VIDEO: Exploring the south valley’s wetlands, preserves and habitat sanctuaries – a mini tour
In late February, the nonprofit Central Valley Joint Venture took a group of environmental scientists, advocates and nature enthusiasts on a tour of successful wetland restoration projects in the south San Joaquin Valley. The tour focused on the efforts to reclaim agricultural land for habitat and the possibility of returning...
MEETING NOTES: Residents in Kern County desert groundwater basin need to represent their own water interests in ongoing court action
Meeting: Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority board of directors. Background: The basin depends on 7,650 acre feet of natural inflow each year but users pump out nearly 28,000 acre feet annually, creating a severe overdraft. As the Authority has worked to comply with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) to bring the basin into balance numerous legal actions have erupted.
Kings County farmers suffer sticker shock over proposed fees even as state takeover looms
Kings County growers are organizing to stop a set of groundwater and land fees they say will wipe out small farmers, even as the drumbeat of a looming state takeover grows louder. Managers of the Mid-Kings River Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA), which covers the northern tip of Kings County, have...
Court ruling against bond financing for controversial delta tunnel won’t impede project, state says
A recent court ruling may have thrown a wrench in the state’s funding plans for the controversial and expensive Delta Conveyance Project – a tunnel to move Sacramento River water 45 miles beneath the ecologically sensitive Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. In January, the Sacramento Superior Court denied the state...
Dead fish piling up in pockets along the western reach of the Kern River concern Bakersfield residents; may prompt return to court
After taking a bike ride along the Kern River recently, Bakersfield resident Jonathan Vegas was dismayed by what he found the farther west he pedaled. “More of the river has dried up, and the smell of death goes on for miles from the dead fish carcasses throughout the riverbed,” he wrote in an email. “It’s almost unbearable out there.”
MEETING NOTES: North Kern approves eminent domain to build new water recharge facility
Meeting: North Kern Water Storage District board of directors. Background: North Kern, which stretches along Highway 99 from Bakersfield to near McFarland, annexed an area known as the “Rosedale Ranch Improvement District (RRID)” in 1966. That chunk of land is generally bounded by Allen and Superior roads on the east and west ends and 7th Standard and Hageman roads on the north and south sides, with another smaller section above 7th Standard.
SJV Water
522+
Posts
402K+
Views
SJV Water is an independent, nonprofit news site dedicated to covering water in the San Joaquin Valley.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.