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Pursuing truth toward justice

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San Joaquin Valley groundwater

Local Agencies Shirk Groundwater Accountability

February 28, 2021 By Eric Caine 7 Comments

Stanislaus River

Local experts on water and water use like Vance Kennedy were apoplectic when farmers planted almonds and walnuts in the foothills of eastern Stanislaus County, where one of the last viable aquifers in the San Joaquin Valley provided enough groundwater for tens of thousands of acres of trees. “That aquifer should be saved for use in an emergency,” said Kennedy, a retired hydrologist formerly with U.S. Geological Survey. Today, obeying […]

Filed Under: Environment Tagged With: Almond Orchards eastern Stanislaus County, Eastern Stanislaus County groundwater, San Joaquin Valley groundwater, Sustainable Groundwater Management Act

Draining the Last Great Aquifer: a Group Project

December 8, 2019 By Eric Caine 8 Comments

California map of critically overdrafted groundwater basins

Environmentalists who had high hopes Gavin Newsom would lead the way to sustainable water use in the San Joaquin Valley are waking up to the knowledge that the new governor isn’t going to be any more effective than the old governor. Sustainability is just too big a lift. Even before Newsom took office, the terms of the water debate were morphing from “sustainability” to “voluntary agreements.” Not long after, sustainability […]

Filed Under: Environment Tagged With: California groundwater law, Eastern Stanislaus County groundwater, San Joaquin Valley groundwater, Sustainable Groundwater Management Act

Water Myths of the San Joaquin Valley

September 16, 2019 By Eric Caine 12 Comments

Among the more persistent myths about water in the San Joaquin Valley, none is more durable than the canard that water shortages and land subsidence have been caused by, “an innumerable myriad of Endangered Species Act-related laws, mandates, opinions, rulings and settlements.” This latest addition to the catalogue of misinformation comes from Kristi Diener, in an OP/ED for the Modesto and Fresno Bee newspapers. Diener, like everyone else who attempts […]

Filed Under: Environment Tagged With: Central Valley Project, San Joaquin Valley groundwater, San Joaquin Valley subsidence, State Water Project

Will the Valley Run Out of Fresh Water?

March 16, 2019 By Bruce Frohman 9 Comments

With record rain and snowfall in the winter of 2018-2019, many people are no longer worried about the water supply. The drought is over for now and reserves are growing in lakes and reservoirs. Nevertheless, recent concerns about water are no less relevant today than they were before our winter rains. Ron Myers monitors wells for farms throughout the San Joaquin Valley. Although we have plenty of water this year, when […]

Filed Under: Environment Tagged With: California groundwater, mining groundwater, San Joaquin Valley groundwater

The Hidden Truth about Valley Water

February 14, 2017 By Eric Caine 1 Comment

The recent deluge throughout Northern California has caused equal parts celebration and outrage. Celebration because it would appear to some the drought is over and outrage because those same celebrants are demonizing anyone who says we’re still in a water emergency. As always, the favored targets for righteous indignation are the government and, “those in environmental groups.” “Why would the state water board tell us we’re still in drought?’ asked […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured Tagged With: San Joaquin Valley aquifer, San Joaquin Valley groundwater, San Joaquin Valley subsidence

Water, History, and the Environment: Part II

July 28, 2015 By Eric Caine Leave a Comment

History? Not around here… “Like most environmentalists, they want it all,” said Oakdale Irrigation District (OID) General Manager Steve Knell recently when discussing water rights along the Stanislaus River. Though absurd on the face of it, Knell’s claim represents a widespread belief throughout the San Joaquin Valley, where environmental illiteracy and historical amnesia have enabled private appropriation of public resources since the days of the gold rush. The simple fact […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured Tagged With: San Joaquin Valley groundwater, Steve Knell

Dr. Kennedy: Water and Drought in the Valley

May 2, 2015 By Vance Kennedy 2 Comments

Dr. Vance Kennedy

Dr. Vance Kennedy has received the Distinguished Service Award from the Environmental Protection Agency for his work with the U.S. Geological Survey. Now in his nineties, Dr. Kennedy maintains an active interest in water and land use issues in California and especially in the San Joaquin Valley. The following essay represents some of his latest thoughts on water and the drought. The immediate problem posed by the drought is to […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured Tagged With: San Joaquin Valley aquifer, San Joaquin Valley groundwater, Vance Kennedy

California Fails on Groundwater

September 14, 2014 By Eric Caine 2 Comments

It didn’t take long for elation to turn to dismay after state legislators approved regulations on groundwater. If Governor Brown signs off, California will become the last state to enact groundwater rules. Sort of. In fact, all the fuss about groundwater has done is establish more firmly Big Ag’s unshakeable grip on water policy. The tell is in the state’s requirement that counties achieve groundwater “sustainability” by 2040. From today, […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured Tagged With: Almond Orchards eastern Stanislaus County, San Joaquin Valley groundwater, Stanislaus County groundwater

Water Grab in the Foothills? Yes!

July 16, 2014 By Eric Caine Leave a Comment

Dr. Vance Kennedy

Dr. Vance Kennedy is a long time champion of farmers and farmland. Along with Wood Colony’s Jake Wenger and Modesto’s Denny Jackman, Dr. Kennedy is sponsoring an urban limits initiative that would protect prime farmland around Modesto. Like many Valley citizens, Dr. Kennedy is alarmed at intensive groundwater mining in the foothills of eastern Stanislaus County. His background as an award-winning hydrologist enables him to offer authoritative analysis of the […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured Tagged With: Almond Orchards eastern Stanislaus County, San Joaquin Valley groundwater, Stanislaus County groundwater, Vance Kennedy

Dr. Kennedy’s Groundwater Fact List

July 14, 2014 By Eric Caine 3 Comments

The groundwater crisis in the San Joaquin Valley is especially critical. In Stanislaus County, tens of thousands of acres of new almond orchards have put a tremendous demand on groundwater, causing concern for the future of the aquifer. Many residential wells have run dry, yet thus far county supervisors have failed to take action. On June 28, Stanislaus County Supervisor Terry Withrow was quoted as saying, “We’ve got to stick […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured Tagged With: Almond Orchards eastern Stanislaus County, San Joaquin Valley groundwater, Stanislaus County groundwater

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