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Pursuing truth toward justice

The Valley Citizen

Pursuing truth toward justice
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eastern Stanislaus County almond orchards

Groundwater Extraction Needs Oversight Now, Says Kennedy

July 4, 2017 By admin 4 Comments

Dr. Vance Kennedy

Dr. Vance Kennedy is a retired research hydrologist, with degrees in chemical engineering, geochemistry, and geology. There are hundreds of deep wells in the foothills east of the San Joaquin Valley, especially in Stanislaus and Merced Counties. They are depleting the general water table at an alarming rate. When that water table drops by several hundred feet, no one will be able to live there who relies on groundwater because […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured Tagged With: California groundwater law, eastern Stanislaus County almond orchards, Eastern Stanislaus County groundwater, mining groundwater

Pawns in the Water Game

June 30, 2015 By Eric Caine Leave a Comment

Dr. Vance Kennedy was visiting Modesto Reservoir in eastern Stanislaus County last week when someone asked him what the likelihood is that almond orchards around the reservoir are pumping water from the reservoir via seepage into nearby aquifers. “One-hundred percent,” replied Kennedy.  Kennedy retired from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) after winning its highest possible award. His special expertise is in tracing sediments in water, but he’s well versed in […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured Tagged With: eastern Stanislaus County almond orchards, Eastern Stanislaus County groundwater, Vance Kennedy hydrologist

Can the State Reverse Downward Trend of Groundwater Supplies?

November 13, 2014 By Eric Caine Leave a Comment

“Why not do a mass balance?” said Vance Kennedy. “It’s unsustainable on the face of it.” Kennedy was speaking during a question and answer session with Doreen, “DeDe,” D’Adamo, a member of California’s State Water Resources Control Board. D’Adamo was in Oakdale last Wednesday to meet with members of the Stanislaus Water Coalition, a group concerned with groundwater issues in eastern Stanislaus County. Kennedy, a retired U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist, […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured Tagged With: eastern Stanislaus County almond orchards, Stanislaus County groundwater, Steve Knell, Terry Withrow Supervisor, Vance Kennedy

Boggs Rocks Water Committee

October 10, 2014 By Eric Caine 2 Comments

When Stanislaus County Supervisor Jim DeMartini made a surprise appearance at Wednesday night’s meeting of the Stanislaus Water Advisory Committee (WAC), people expected fireworks. DeMartini has been an outspoken critic of the WAC since its formation early this year. In theory, the WAC is supposed to advise county supervisors on water policy. In fact, it has seemed dedicated to avoiding action of any kind. DeMartini’s recent attempts to establish a […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured Tagged With: eastern Stanislaus County almond orchards, Stanislaus County groundwater, Stanislaus Water Advisory Committee

Valley Citizens Unite Against Mining Water

August 13, 2014 By Eric Caine Leave a Comment

It’s only fitting that some of the speakers during Tuesday’s public comment portion of the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors meeting had names like “Smith” and “Jones.” It was one of those rare moments when ordinary citizens speak in unison and form a truly “public” opinion. The keynote was sounded by John Booker, a retired architect from Oakdale, who represented over one-hundred members of the Stanislaus Water Coalition: “It is […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured Tagged With: eastern Stanislaus County almond orchards, Stanislaus County groundwater

City of Modesto Drinking Water

June 30, 2014 By Eric Caine 2 Comments

Orchard at Modesto Reservoir

Last week, City of Modesto water users received notice that, “water allocation deliveries from MID will be decreased from an average of 30 million gallons to 17 million gallons.” City residents will receive groundwater “to supplement the reduction.” “Customers may notice that the water at their taps contains more minerals than usual,” said the city. What the city didn’t say is that we’ve now joined the mad rush to drain […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured Tagged With: eastern Stanislaus County almond orchards, Modesto drinking water, Modesto Reservoir

Facts? “Not my job,” says the Bee

August 1, 2013 By Eric Caine Leave a Comment

Some call it, “he said, she said,” journalism. Others call it “fair and balanced.” Whatever the name, the journalistic practice of giving equal weight to “both sides” of an issue has become a pernicious enemy of truth. Just consider the Modesto Bee’s July 28 interview with Sean Roddy of Henning Bros. Drilling Company. Roddy has drilled many of the new wells on Stanislaus County’s east side. Nonetheless, in response to […]

Filed Under: Featured, History Tagged With: eastern Stanislaus County almond orchards, ground water Stanislaus County, San Joaquin Valley ground water

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Off The Wire

?Monster Fracks? Are Getting Far Bigger. And Far Thirstier.
“Monster Fracks” Are Getting Far Bigger. And Far Thirstier.
A Times analysis shows that increasingly complex oil and gas wells now require astonishing volumes of water to fracture the bedrock and release fossil fuels, threatening America’s fragile aquifers.
www.nytimes.com
Newsom urges SCOTUS to consider encampment ruling that has 'paralyzed' California cities
Newsom urges SCOTUS to consider encampment ruling that has ‘paralyzed’ California cities
The Democratic governor’s intervention lays down a mark in a legal dispute with potentially profound implications for one of California’s most pressing issues.
www.politico.com
Clarence Thomas Secretly Participated in Koch Network Donor Events
Clarence Thomas Secretly Participated in Koch Network Donor Events
Thomas has attended at least two Koch donor summits, putting him in the extraordinary position of having helped a political network that has brought multiple cases before the Supreme Court.
www.propublica.org
How hungry is California? Millions struggle to eat well in an abundant state
How hungry is California? Millions struggle to eat well in an abundant state
How bad is hunger in California? A lot depends on your access to food aid, which expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic but now is being reduced.
calmatters.org
Sacramento DA sues city over homeless encampments
Sacramento DA sues city over homeless encampments
Sacramento County had nearly 9,300 homeless people in 2022, based on data from the annual Point in Time count. That was up 67% from 2019. Roughly three-quarters of the county’s homeless population….
www.mercurynews.com
At Last, a Real Possibility to Avoid Catastrophic Climate Change
At Last, a Real Possibility to Avoid Catastrophic Climate Change
After decades of minimal action, Congress passed the largest and most comprehensive piece of climate legislation in U.S. history. Will we make the most of this opportunity?
www.audubon.org
How the fentanyl crisis' fourth wave has hit every corner of the US
How the fentanyl crisis’ fourth wave has hit every corner of the US
The epidemic’s staggering scale and infiltration of communities is laid bare in a new study.
www.bbc.com
Can licensed tent villages ease California's homelessness epidemic? This nonprofit thinks so
Can licensed tent villages ease California’s homelessness epidemic? This nonprofit thinks so
Taking people off the street and into tents is a new twist on homeless shelter being explored by the San Francisco-based Urban Alchemy in two tent villages operating in Los Angeles and Culver City.
www.latimes.com
Mississippi has problems, but it's handling homelessness better than L.A.
Mississippi has problems, but it’s handling homelessness better than L.A.
The public tends to blame homelessness on poverty, drug use, crime or even warm weather. But other cities don’t have L.A. levels of street homelessness because they have more available housing.
www.latimes.com
Neo-Nazis March Through Florida Park
Neo-Nazis March Through Florida Park
The demonstrators raised “Heil Hitler” salutes and waved flags with swastikas.
www.thedailybeast.com
Families have high hopes for Gavin Newsom's CARE Courts. Providers want to lower expectations
Families have high hopes for Gavin Newsom’s CARE Courts. Providers want to lower expectations
Gov. Gavin Newsom?s experiment to push Californians with mental illness off the streets and into treatment, CARE Court, starts soon.
calmatters.org
Pope says 'backward' U.S. conservatives have replaced faith with ideology
Pope says ‘backward’ U.S. conservatives have replaced faith with ideology
Pope Francis has blasted the “backwardness” of some conservatives in the U.S. Catholic Church. He says they have replaced faith with ideology and that a correct understanding of Catholic doctrine allows for change over time.
apnews.com

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The Valley Citizen
PO Box 156
Downtown Bear Postal
1509 K Street
Modesto, CA 95354

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The Valley Citizen
PO Box 156
Downtown Bear Postal
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Modesto, CA 95354

Email us at:
thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

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