Groundwater regulation in Ukiah Valley is imminent. Here’s what you need to know.
“Historically, in California, if someone had a well, or access to an aquifer on their property, they could take as much water out of it as they wanted, to irrigate agricultural land, for drinking, or whatever else they needed it for. Currently, there is no government authority that can track or limit groundwater use. Soon, that will change. In 2014, a state law was enacted that requires local governments in areas with potential for groundwater overdraft to establish a regulatory plan to manage groundwater sustainably for years to come. … ” Read more from the Mendocino Voice here: Groundwater regulation in Ukiah Valley is imminent. Here’s what you need to know.
Water accounting platform is working well in Kern County
“A relatively new water budgeting platform appears to be working well for producers in Kern County. The Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water Storage District (District) has worked with multiple stakeholder partners to develop the Water Accounting Platform to help growers more accurately track water use. General Manager of the District, Eric Averett explained that producers in the area seem to be pleased with the functionality of the platform and what it provides. … ” Read more from Ag Net West here: Water accounting platform is working well in Kern County
Ridgecrest: Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority responds to Searles Valley Minerals’ lawsuit
“The Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority has responded to the Searles Valley Minerals lawsuit announced last week. “At its core, Searles’ lawsuit is nothing more than a claim that its use of water for a commercial industrial purpose should be free of all costs and given a priority over and above all other uses in the Basin,” Mick Gleason, IWVGA chairman and Kern County Supervisor, said in a press release Tuesday morning. … ” Read more from the Ridgecrest Independent here: Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority responds to Searles Valley Minerals’ lawsuit
Ridgecrest: Western Growers Association and Calif. Farm Bureau: Current GSP ‘will decimate agriculture’
“The Western Growers Association and the California Farm Bureau Federation voiced its concerns regarding the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority’s draft groundwater sustainability plan in a letter addressed to the IWVGA and its chair, Mick Gleason. “It is shocking that the IWVGA Plan reserves 100 percent of the basin’s sustainable yield to the U.S. Navy — an entity expressly not subject to SGMA or the Plan — and denies overlying landowner farmers any groundwater allocation at all unless they pay the Authority $2,130 per acre-foot,” the letter reads. … ” Read more from the Taft Midway Driller here: Western Growers Association and Calif. Farm Bureau: Current GSP ‘will decimate agriculture’
Groundwater: Desert valley plan could price farms out of business
“As local groundwater agencies throughout California consider how to implement the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, two lawsuits against a Kern County groundwater sustainability agency show the potential implications for agriculture and other businesses with historic, overlying water rights. The cases involve the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority, a groundwater sustainability agency overseeing a critically overdrafted aquifer that covers part of eastern Kern County and parts of Inyo and San Bernardino counties. … ” Read more from Ag Alert here: Groundwater: Desert valley plan could price farms out of business
New federal report show increasing groundwater levels in the Coachella Valley
“A new report by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) shows that efforts by Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD) to replenish local aquifers in the Coachella Valley have been effective, leading to stable land surface elevations in most of the Coachella Valley. Areas with land subsidence identified in prior studies are now stable, uplifting, or experiencing substantial slowing of subsidence. CVWD partners with Coachella Water Authority, Desert Water Agency, Indio Water Authority, and Mission Springs Water District to manage groundwater in the Coachella Valley. “The study shows that CVWD’s commitment to these partnerships and the sustainability of the aquifer that supplies most of our drinking water is a success story,” said Jim Barrett, General Manager of CVWD. “The results clearly demonstrate a reversal in trends of groundwater-level declines during previous decades. This is good news for the long-term health of the aquifers.” … ” Read more from the Coachella Valley Water District here: New federal report show increasing groundwater levels in the Coachella Valley