Topic: San Joaquin Valley

Overview

San Joaquin Valley

The San Joaquin Valley stretches from across mid-California between coastal ranges in west and the Sierras on the east. The region includes large cities such as Fresno and Bakersfield, national parks such as Yosemite and Kings and fertile farmland and multi-billion dollar agriculture industry.

The federal Central Valley Project and State Water Project (about 30 percent of SWP water is used for irrigation) helped deliver water to the valley. Today, San Joaquin Valley crops include grapes, tomatoes, hay, sugar beets, nuts, cotton and a multitude of other fruits and vegetables. At the same time, water used to grow these crops has led to the need for agricultural drainage.

 

Aquafornia news The San Joaquin Sun (Fresno, Calif.)

Opinion: California Ag is pioneering a new era of innovation, resilience

… Navigating the historically intricate regulatory environment has long posed challenges for agricultural producers and water managers. However, growing momentum toward streamlining and modernizing these regulatory frameworks signals a promising new era of government-industry cooperation. Farmers throughout the San Joaquin Valley are actively advocating for policies that provide greater flexibility in water allocation, enhance local groundwater management, and upgraded mixed use flood control infrastructure. Recent executive orders and updated regulations have already begun to reduce administrative burdens, providing farmer with greater confidence and an enhanced sense of certainty with making critical planting and investment decisions.
–Written by William Bourdeau, executive vice president of Harris Farms, owner of Bourdeau Farms, director of the Westlands Water District, director of American Pistachio Growers, Family Farm Alliance, and chairman of the Valley Future Foundation.

Aquafornia news SJV Water

Order that had kept water in the Kern River reversed by 5th District Court of Appeal

In a wide-ranging ruling that could have larger implications for public interest lawsuits throughout California, the 5th District Court of Appeal reversed a preliminary injunction that had required water in the Kern River through the heart of Bakersfield. … Bring Back the Kern, Water Audit California and several other public interest groups sued the City of Bakersfield in 2022 for dewatering the river. They are demanding the city study the environmental impacts of its river operations. That lawsuit is set for trial in December. The preliminary injunction was an outgrowth of that 2022 lawsuit. It was an attempt to keep water in the river for fish that had come teeming back with high flows in 2023. The 5th District’s ruling, issued Wednesday, reversed the injunction but didn’t close the door to a possible future injunction and, in fact, gave lengthy direction for how that could be done.

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Aquafornia news SJV Water

Progress picks up on well registration efforts among Kings County landowners

Lemoore area growers and landowners weren’t happy about giving out their well locations and pumping data but said, if they had to, they’d rather give that information to a local agency than the state. … Wednesday’s turnout, about 45 people, was significantly higher than the GSA’s first workshop March 3 where only nine people showed up. “We’ve made really good progress,” South Fork General Manager Johnny Gailey reported at a grower’s advisory group March 27. The GSA now has 45 accounts in its system with 120 ag and 38 domestic wells registered. South Fork Kings is aiming to register all wells within its boundaries by July 1.

Other groundwater news: 

Aquafornia news Fresnoland (Calif.)

Arambula’s bill seeks to stop blasting mine on San Joaquin River

A billion-dollar blast mine planned along the San Joaquin River’s prime salmon spawning habitat is facing its first major political challenge after months of diplomatic silence from Fresno leaders.  Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula introduced new state legislation last week aimed directly at stopping global mining giant CEMEX from blasting a crater twice as deep as Millerton Lake along the San Joaquin River’s planned parkway near Fresno. Arambula’s proposal has the support of Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer, who called the CEMEX blast mine an “unacceptable” assault to the region’s river and roads. … Arambula’s bill would toss the county’s playbook for developers in the trash, killing CEMEX’s controversial mining proposal before the county supervisors get a chance to approve it.

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Aquafornia news San Joaquin Valley Sun (Fresno, Calif.)

Alta Irrigation District to develop major groundwater recharge basins 

Alta Irrigation District has purchased 80 acres to develop the London West Pond recharge basin.  The recharge basin will be located at Ave. 384 and Rd. 56 next to the existing London Pond recharge site. … Both groundwater recharge basins will help Alta divert more surface water and boost its groundwater sustainability efforts to comply with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. Alta said the basins will increase the available water supply during dry years for growers and also support nearby residents who are reliant on groundwater for drinking water. 

Aquafornia news SJV Water

Tulare County wetlands preserve to open to the public on Saturday

The largest remaining wetland prairie in the San Joaquin Valley will open to the public on Saturday, March 29, an event that only comes around once or twice a year. The James K. Herbert Wetland Prairie Preserve, which houses and protects rare and unique species in Tulare County, will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Attendees can explore the preserve and catch a self-guided tour with staff. The event is made possible by the  Alta Peak California Native Plant Society, Sequoia Riverlands Trust and the Tulare Kings Audubon Society.

Aquafornia news SJV Water

State proposes administrator to take over troubled East Orosi sewer system

A clearer path forward could be emerging in the tiny Tulare County community of East Orosi, which has long struggled with contaminated drinking water, a decrepit sewer system and dysfunction among elected leaders. The state Water Resources Control Board will be in town Thursday, April 17 to explain why it proposes that the community’s sewer system be run by a new administrator, the Tulare County Resource Management Agency (RMA). … The proposed sewer administration change is a result of Assembly Bill 805, authored by Dr. Joaquin Arambula (D-Fresno) and signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September in the backyard of an East Orosi resident. The bill authorizes the state Water Board to intervene when a sewer service provider does not meet regulatory standards or fails to maintain the technical, managerial and financial capacity needed to prevent waste, fraud and abuse. The Water Board can then contract with a new administrator. 

Aquafornia news SJV Water

Rural Kings County residents leery of free well testing program that aims to provide clean water

Only about a dozen residents attended a recent event in Hanford to learn about free well testing and organizers learned it’s a trust thing. “(Rural Kings County residents) don’t want you coming out and checking their water because they’re afraid you’re going to close their well down and tell them they have to dig a new well that they can’t afford,” said attendee Sandra Martin.  “A lot of elderly are afraid.” Kings Water Alliance Executive Officer Debra Dunn assured attendees the organization has no intent, nor authority, to shut anyone’s well down. “We do not tell people what to do with their wells,” Dunn said. 

Aquafornia news SJV Water

5th District Court of Appeal hears arguments over Kern River flows

Justices with the 5th District Court of Appeal peppered attorneys with questions about the application of state water law and the fight over Kern River flows during arguments in Fresno on Thursday. How the 5th District rules on this appeal could have far-reaching effects on river conservation efforts throughout California as it involves California Fish and Game Code 5937. That code states dam owners must keep enough water downstream to keep fish in good condition. It was the linchpin in restoring other California rivers, including the San Joaquin River in Fresno County. And 5937 is the underpinning of a preliminary injunction and implementation order issued in late fall 2023 by Kern County Superior Court Gregory Pulskamp that mandated the City of Bakersfield keep enough water in the river through town for fish.

Aquafornia news The Business Journal (Fresno, Calif.)

Opinion: Cemex expanded mining operations will not happen in San Joaquin River

In December 2024, the County of Fresno Department of Public Works and Planning released the draft environmental impact report (DEIR) on Cemex’s proposed plan to modify its existing Rockfield aggregate operation on Friant Road (Modification Plan) and received public comments through March 10, 2025. … Inaccurate information about the modification plan has been broadly communicated by a few project opponents and unfortunately perpetuated by some local digital channels. Importantly, Cemex does not propose to mine in the San Joaquin River. This has been clear throughout the application process and any suggestions otherwise are disingenuous at best and appear designed to mislead the public. 

Aquafornia news The Fresno Bee

Opinion: Hello nutria? California’s least-welcome invasive swamp rodents arrive in Fresno

California’s most-destructive and least-welcome swamp rodents have arrived in its fifth-largest city. To be precise, they’ve arrived in the stretch of San Joaquin River that traces Fresno’s northwest border. Eight years have passed since a reproducing population of nutria was found in western Merced County — their first discovery in the state since the 1970s. Despite eradication efforts that began in March 2018, nutria have since spread north into the Delta, east into foothills along the Merced River and south into the Fresno Slough and Mendota Wildlife Area. … Since 2023 more nutria have been taken from Fresno County than any county in California, according to CDFW data. In the overall tally of 5,493 animals that dates to 2018, Fresno County (1,140) trails only Merced County (2,593). 
-Written by Fresno Bee columnist Marek Warszawski.​

Aquafornia news Center for Biological Diversity

News release: California appeals court to consider protecting Kern River, fish from harmful diversions

An appeals court on Thursday will hear arguments on Kern River water diversions, which have killed thousands of fish and drained the once flowing waterway in Bakersfield. The 5th District Court of Appeals will consider whether to uphold a preliminary injunction sought by a coalition of environmental groups to stop the city of Bakersfield and agricultural water storage districts from diversions that significantly reduce river flow. … (A)n appeals court issued a stay on the injunction, after agricultural water districts appealed. In October state Attorney General Rob Bonta intervened in the lawsuit, siding with environmentalists in challenging the diversions. Thursday’s hearing will determine whether to restore the injunction and allow Kern River water to flow once again.

Aquafornia news The Business Journal (Fresno, Calif.)

Fresno protest planned against hazardous soil dumping plan

Dozens of Central Valley residents are planning to gather in Fresno to voice their opposition to a plan to expand dumping they say will bring dangerous waste to the region. On March 20, residents and environmental justice advocates plan to protest on the steps of Fresno City Hall against a proposed expansion of hazardous waste dumping that could permit city landfills to take more contaminated soil. … According to a news release from the California Environmental Justice Coalition, the plan threatens air and water quality, public health, and community safety, especially in communities already burdened by pollution.

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Aquafornia news SJV Water

Bank seeks more than $105 million and foreclosure of multiple properties owned by John Vidovich

A bank is suing large San Joaquin Valley grower John Vidovich for more than $105 million in allegedly defaulted loans and is demanding the foreclosure and sale of large swaths of farmland, solar sites, a nut-hulling facility and the SunnyGem almond processing plant in Wasco. Affected lands could span Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Kern counties, according to three volumes of exhibits in the lawsuit, which was filed March 12 in Kern. … Vidovich has been a controversial figure in the valley since 2009 when he permanently sold State Water Project contract rights to 14,000 acre feet from the Dudley Ridge Water District in Kings County to a southern California district for $73 million.

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Aquafornia news SJV Water

March to bring attention to the Kern River legal case draws nearly 130

A march in the mostly dry Kern River bed from the Panorama bluffs eight miles west to the Bellevue Weir started with about 30 people and gained steam to end with about 130 marchers, according to organizers. “It was successful for what we wanted to do,” said Chris Molina, an organizer with the public interest group Bring Back the Kern. “What we wanted was to get media attention as a last-minute rallying cry to hopefully put pressure on the court to lean in favor of a flowing river. And the event exceeded our expectations.” He referred to a hearing scheduled for Thursday, March 20 before the 5th District Court of Appeals in Fresno on whether to uphold a preliminary injunction issued by Kern County Superior Court Gregory Pulskamp in October 2023 mandating the City of Bakersfield keep enough water in the river for fish to survive.

Aquafornia news SJV Water

Three troubled San Joaquin Valley subbasins may band together to tackle widespread sinking

Water managers in the Tulare Lake, Tule and the Kaweah subbasins are discussing the possibility of creating a regional subsidence plan that would cover the three basins. Subsidence, or land sinking, has been a major problem for all three regions, causing a 33-mile long sag in the Friant-Kern Canal and repeatedly sinking the Corcoran levee. Excessive groundwater pumping has caused so much subsidence, it can be seen from space and was nicknamed the “Corcoran bowl.” … Mid-Kings River Groundwater Sustainability Agency’s Manager Chuck Kinney informed the GSA board during a March 11 meeting that he’s met with other water managers in the region to work on a joint subsidence monitoring and action plan.

Aquafornia news Fresnoland (Calif.)

East Orosi’s water system remains in limbo

Despite recent political momentum, the tiny Tulare County community of East Orosi remains without a clear path forward to solving its decades-long struggle with contaminated drinking water. Disputes between local and state officials, coupled with deep divisions and infighting among local district water board members have thwarted efforts to clear up the community’s water for many years. … The slow crawl towards a solution has left East Orosi residents in fear of their own tap water. Many rely on bottled water deliveries, despite living less than a mile from Orosi and its safe, clean water.

Aquafornia news Office of Sen. Alex Padilla

News release: Senate committee advances Padilla, Schiff bill to enact a water settlement between the Tule River Tribe and the United States

U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) announced that the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs advanced their legislation to formally recognize the Tule River Tribe’s reserved water rights and quantify the Tribe’s water right of 5,828 acre-feet per year of surface water from the South Fork of the Tule River (in the San Joaquin Valley). The bill passed out of committee by voice vote and now moves to the Senate floor for consideration by the full Senate. For decades, the Tule River Tribe has worked with the federal government and downstream water users to advance a settlement agreement, avoiding costly and adversarial litigation for both the Tribe and the United States government. 

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Aquafornia news SJV Water

Kings County residents may sign up to have drinking water wells tested for free

Rural Kings County residents concerned about their drinking water may sign up to have their wells tested for free at an event to be held at 5:30 p.m. March 18. The Kings Water Alliance is hosting the informational event for residents to apply to have their wells tested for nitrate contamination. The event will be held at the Kings Cultural Center, 14054 Front Street, Armona. The well testing program is free for Kings County residents who rely on wells for drinking water. The alliance has offered its free program to residents in portions of Fresno and Tulare Counties and a small northeast portion of Kings County. 

Aquafornia news SJV Water

Water summit covers gamut of water issues facing Kern County farmers

Groundwater regulation and its impacts on farming dominated panel discussions at Thursday’s Water Association of Kern County’s annual Water Summit. While the picture of how SGMA will likely impact agriculture has become more clear, it hasn’t gotten any prettier over the past 10 years since the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act became law. The first panel of the day set the tone as farmland appraisers Mike Ming and Allan Barros flipped through slide after slide showing how values have dropped, especially in regions where growers are totally groundwater dependent or even if they have contracts for state water.

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Aquafornia news California Department of Fish and Wildlife

News release: Suspect facing felony charges in Stockton illegal dumping case

A criminal investigation by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (CDFW) Law Enforcement Division and the Stockton Police Department has resulted in a suspect being identified and charged on suspicion of a September 2024 illegal petroleum dumping incident that impacted the Smith Canal Waterway in Stockton. … The multi-agency effort recovered oil from the waterway and removed impacted soil along the canal. David Andrew Sump was arrested and arraigned on charges stemming from his alleged role in dumping approximately 280 gallons of waste oil into the waterway and surrounding environment.

Aquafornia news SJV Water

Tea Pot Dome agrees to pay share of cost to fix sinking canal and reveal pumping data to Friant Water Authority

Tea Pot Dome Water District has agreed to pay Friant Water Authority $1.4 million in exchange for relief from its role in a contract designed to pay for damage to a 33-mile section of the Friant-Kern Canal.  It also agreed to give Friant pumping data that’s at the heart of a much larger dispute. The deal is one small piece of the ongoing conflict between Friant and several of its own member contractors over who should pay –  and how much – to fix the Friant-Kern Canal, which has been sinking due to excessive groundwater pumping.

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Aquafornia news SJV Water

Shake up on powerful Kern water board

Ted Page, a long-serving director of the powerful Kern County Water Agency, announced his resignation from the board Wednesday. … The agency provides wholesale supplies to water purveyors serving large sections of east Bakersfield. It owns rights to high flow water on the Kern River. It is one of six entities that control the massive Kern Water Bank.  And it is one of three members that govern the Kern River Groundwater Sustainability Agency, which monitors water tables and can set pumping limits. … The process to fill Page’s seat will commence immediately and be completed over the next 60 days.

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Aquafornia news SJV Water

Legislation could provide new path for farmers in beleaguered Tulare County groundwater agency

Assembly Bill 1044, introduced by Assembly Member Alexandra Macedo (R-Tulare) Feb. 20, would create a new agency to be administered through Tulare County and that would cover half of Eastern Tule’s original acreage. The bill was written at the county’s request after Eastern Tule lost all of its irrigation district members. … The new groundwater entity will include the Hope and Ducor water districts, neither of which have surface water contracts. … But under recent Proposition 218 elections, the districts were able to levy land assessments to fund a study to look at connecting to the Friant-Kern Canal. 

Other groundwater news:

Aquafornia news KVPR (Fresno, Calif.)

Why the San Joaquin River is at the center of a mining fight

The San Joaquin River, just along the City of Fresno, offers recreation and a getaway from city life. But it also provides another crucial resource: gravel. The multinational company Cemex is proposing to dig deeper for the resource, but community residents are trying to stop the project. Today, we speak with Sharon Weaver from the San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust about the concerns she and others have about the proposal.

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Aquafornia news E&E News by Politico

Army Corps: Trump’s California water release justified

A senior Army Corps of Engineers official offered few specifics to lawmakers Tuesday on the agency’s controversial decision last month to suddenly release billions of gallons of water from dams in California’s Central Valley. Speaking before the House Appropriations Committee, Lt. Gen. William Graham Jr. said the unexpected water release was in response to a directive from President Donald Trump and was “within the statutory authority” of the Army Corps. But Graham, the agency’s chief of engineers, was mum in response to questions from Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) about whether the flow of water actually helped with efforts to fight wildfires in Los Angeles, as Trump has claimed.

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Aquafornia news Los Angeles Times

Wednesday Top of the Scroll: California water supply forecasts are increased following storms

State and federal agencies plan to deliver more water to California farms and cities following recent storms that brought rain and snow and boosted reservoir levels. Cities in Southern California and other agencies that depend on water delivered from Northern California via the State Water Project are projected to receive 35% of requested water supplies, up from an estimated 20% last month, the state Department of Water Resources said Tuesday. In a similar announcement, the federal Bureau of Reclamation said agricultural irrigation districts south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta are expected to receive 35% of their full contract amounts from the federal Central Valley Project — more than double the 15% they were allocated at this time last year.

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Farmers in Tulare County to test groundwater market they hope could help keep them in business and replenish the aquifer

How will selling groundwater help keep more groundwater in the San Joaquin Valley’s already critically overtapped aquifers? Water managers in the Kaweah subbasin in northwestern Tulare County hope to find out by having farmers tinker with a pilot groundwater market program. Kaweah farmers will be joining growers from subbasins up and down the San Joaquin Valley who’ve been looking at how water markets might help them maintain their businesses by using pumping allotments and groundwater credits as assets to trade or sell when water is tight.

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Aquafornia news Fresnoland

Most of state’s unsafe water systems in California’s Central Valley

… A state audit from the California Water Resources Control Board released last year found that over 920,000 residents faced an increased risk of illness–including cancer, liver and kidney problems–due to consuming unsafe drinking water. A majority of these unsafe water systems are in the Central Valley. The matter has prompted community leaders to mobilize residents around water quality as politicians confront imperfect solutions for the region’s supply. Advocates point out that impacted areas, including those in Tulare County, tend to be majority Latino with low median incomes. … This year’s extreme weather has only worsened the valley’s problems. The storms that hit California at the start of this year caused stormwater tainted with farm industry fertilizer, manure and nitrates to flow into valley aquifers.