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Where’s Our Water? A Look at California’s Storage Problem

In 2014, California voters passed a proposition using $7.5 billion dollars in state funds to expand water storage capacity. Nearly 10 years later, people say not much has come from the vote. The main focus on their minds is the failure to expand Shasta Dam.

Kern County Congressman David Valadao (R-CA) has authored legislation that makes it easier for Shasta to receive federal funding.

Kern County Officials, Growers Concerned About Lake Isabella Water Levels

Bakersfield and Kern County have been in drought mode since the end of last year with restrictions and cutbacks in place to try and save as much water as possible as we head into the hot summer months.

But water officials and growers are concerned as the flow from the Upper Kern into Lake Isabella now reduces to a trickle in the coming weeks and months.

Opinion: From Water to Energy, Calif. Policies Disproportionately Harm Minority Communities

As California continues to implement policies that are negatively impacting the agriculture and energy sectors, we must ask ourselves…who is looking out for California’s minority and disadvantaged communities?

The latest example is California’s Central Valley, particularly Kern County. Kern is a dynamic county that has a long history of welcoming people from other parts of the United States and immigrants from other countries.

Desert Groundwater Plan OK’d by State

The Indian Wells Valley groundwater plan got a thumbs up from the state on Thursday but with a swarm of lawsuits surrounding the plan, it’s unclear what that approval will mean going forward.

One of those lawsuits seeks a “comprehensive adjudication” of water rights of the Indian Wells Valley basin, which could reconfigure who has rights to how much groundwater, a fundamental underpinning of the groundwater sustainability plan that was just approved.

Large Water Pipeline in Kings County Raising Questions, Concerns

A large water pipeline being built near Lemoore in Kings County is raising eyebrows as much for its possible uses as for the name associated with its construction — John Vidovich.

In the Midst of Drought, Experts Aim to Improve Central Valley Water Usage With Helicopter-born Technology ‘MRI’ Technology

When physicians want to take a look at a patient’s vascular system to see things that aren’t visible to the naked eye, they often turn to MRI technology. That is what experts with the California Department of Water Resources are doing to analyze the state’s water system – specifically the underground aquifers that collect and store precipitation and other surface water.

 

Opinion: Will California Step Up on Water?

California is experiencing a devastating water crisis, by some accounts the worst in the last 1,200 years. Drought is hammering the two primary water delivery systems on which millions of Californians rely — the Colorado River and the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Most of the state — and especially the south San Joaquin Valley and Kern County — is suffering badly. Extensive planning, and solid investments funded by large coffers, have enabled large portions of Southern California to get through 2021 without rationing. But the experience here in the Central Valley is far different. Thousands of acres fallowed. Jobs lost and hours cut. Multiple cities with water restrictions. Wells running dry. These disparate outcomes are highlighting the current inequalities in drought preparedness and a broken system. There is also the sobering reality that Southern Californians may too be thirsty again soon.

Construction Begins on 100 MW/50 MWh Solar + Storage Project in California

Kern County, California, home to some of the most utility-scale solar development of any county in the nation, is set to feature another large array. Leeward Renewable Energy, Central Coast Community Energy, and Silicon Valley Clean Energy announced that construction has begun on the Rabbitbrush Solar project.

The project is being developed by Leeward Renewable Energy, with engineering, procurement, and construction provided by McCarthy Building Companies. Central Coast Community Energy and Silicon Valley Clean Energy both signed on to purchase generation from the project via 15-year power purchase agreements.

Kern County Farmers Say Water Infrastructure is Needed to Curb Drought

On Aug. 3, the State Water Resources Control Board completely eliminated 2021’s surface water supplies for farms in much of the state. It has impacted farmers like John Moore III, who grows pistachios at Moore Farms in Arvin.

“We’ve got about 100 acres of pistachios, 200 of almonds and everything else goes to open farmland, carrots, potatoes and we have a small block of citrus as well that goes to both domestic and export buyers,” said Moore

Latest Water War Over Kings River Involves Claim by Water District in Kern County

A water war is under way in Sacramento right now that could have far-reaching impacts on families in the Central Valley. “We totally believe this is a water grab,” says Ryan Jacobsen, Board President for the Fresno Irrigation District.