Tag Archive for: Central Valley

A Decade After Signing of California Groundwater Law, Major Challenges Remain

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

In 2014, Gov. Jerry Brown signed historic legislation establishing a framework for California to begin managing groundwater in an effort to curb widespread overpumping, which had sent aquifer levels into rapid decline, left hundreds of wells dry, and caused the ground to sink in parts of the Central Valley.

The law was based on the idea that groundwater could best be managed at the local level, and it called for newly formed local agencies to gradually adopt measures to address chronic declines in groundwater levels. The legislation laid out an implementation timeline stretching more than a quarter-century, giving many areas until 2040 to address their depletion problems.

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Two Congressmen Request Review after Times Report on Central Valley Water Heist

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Jessica Garrison

Two members of Congress have asked the Government Accountability Office to review how vulnerable the Bureau of Reclamation is to water theft following a Los Angeles Times report on an audacious and long-running heist from a federal canal in the Central Valley.

The facts related in the story “raise serious concerns about how widespread water theft is and what Reclamation can do to prevent water theft in the future,” Reps. Jarred Huffman (D-San Rafael) and Raul M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) wrote in their letter requesting the review.

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California May Ease Urban Water-Use Rules as Residents Still Urged to Conserve

/in , , /by /KQEDby Ezra David Romero

Even in wet years — like the last two, which saw disastrous flooding in many parts of the state — Californians need to use less water. That’s the message the State Water Resources Control Board conveyed to the public during a workshop as the agency considers new rules for water conservation in urban areas.

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OPINION – Clean Drinking Water is a Human Right. Why Are So Many California Communities Without It?

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Miriam Pawel

Barely a month after he took office in 2019, Gov. Gavin Newsom journeyed to a rural school in the Central Valley and stood by chance against a backdrop more prescient than he had planned: a classroom whiteboard that posed the “Essential Question — How do you respond to challenges?”

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OPINION – Is The State’s Water Conservation Proposal Too Restrictive? Some Experts Say Yes

/in , , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Tom Philp

Two independent and respected monitors of California government are warning the state’s top water regulator that it is dangerously off course by proposing massive cuts in water use for residents throughout the state, particularly in the Central Valley, in the name of better day-by-day conservation

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In California’s Central Valley, One Nonprofit Has a Unique Approach to Help Solve the State’s Water Crisis

/in , , /by /Fast Companyby Jake Bittle

The land of the Central Valley works hard. Here in the heart of California, in the most productive farming region in the United States, almost every square inch of land has been razed, planted, and shaped to support large-scale agriculture. The valley produces almonds, walnuts, pistachios, olives, cherries, beans, eggs, milk, beef, melons, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and garlic.

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How Can California Solve Its Water Woes? By Flooding Its Best Farmland.

/in , , /by /Gristby Jake Bittle

The land of the Central Valley works hard. Here in the heart of California, in the most productive farming region in the United States, almost every square inch of land has been razed, planted, and shaped to support large-scale agriculture. The valley produces almonds, walnuts, pistachios, olives, cherries, beans, eggs, milk, beef, melons, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and garlic.

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Congress Makes Urgent Call for Central Valley Water Infrastructure Repairs

/in , /by /KVPRby Kerry Klein

A bipartisan congressional delegation led by California Democrat Senator Alex Padilla and Republican Representative Doug LaMalfa on Tuesday sent a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers urging them to prioritize “critical emergency repairs” to levees in the Sacramento and San Joaquin River watersheds.

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Thousands of California Wells Are at Risk of Drying Up Despite Landmark Water Law

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

Even though California enacted sweeping legislation nearly a decade ago to curb excessive agricultural pumping of groundwater, new research predicts that thousands of drinking water wells could run dry in the Central Valley by the time the law’s restrictions take full effect in 2040.

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Sweeping California Water Conservation Rules Could Force Big Cuts in Some Areas

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Hayley Smith, Ian James, Sean Greene

With California facing a hotter and drier future — punctuated by bouts of extreme weather — state officials are moving forward with a new framework for urban water use that could require some suppliers to make cuts of 20% or more as soon as 2025.

Many of the suppliers facing the harshest cuts are located in the Central Valley and in the southeastern part of the state — large, hot and primarily rural areas that have historically struggled to meet conservation targets.

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