Recent stories in the New York Times highlight a groundwater crisis throughout much of the United States, including the San Joaquin Valley. While depleted aquifers aren’t news to Valley citizens, the urgency of the situation has yet to strike home, especially in the northern part of the Valley where last winter’s heavy rains have led to a false sense of security and a “it can’t happen here” mindset. Farther south, […]
Modesto groundwater
Is San Joaquin River Groundwater Allstate’s Orchard Insurance?
YOU tell Allstate they can’t draw from the San Joaquin River to water the almonds they planted in the last couple of years west of Modesto — a modest little project — modest if you have a basket of billions. Though some think $28,000,000 is more than modest. If you use Highway 132 to go west from Modesto, you probably have noticed a big change to farmland just west of […]
Dr. Kennedy on (ground)Water Subsidies
Dr. Vance Kennedy is an award-winning scientist who had a distinguished career at the U.S. Geological Survey. Though long-retired, he follows current water issues closely and has become very concerned that the rush to conserve water via drip irrigation ignores the recharge benefits of flood irrigation, especially in those areas with highly permeable soil of the kind typical near Modesto. Here, he takes exception to a recent article in the […]