Some of our readers have remarked that Dr. Kennedy’s discussions (here and here) of the hydrogeology of the northern San Joaquin Valley may be beyond the scope of the layman. Below, we discuss groundwater in the foothills in simpler terms. First, however, consider the following observations by Karen Burow, a United States Geological Survey scientist, who did a 2004 study of groundwater in the Modesto Basin: “Water-level and pumping […]
Stanislaus County groundwater
Water Grab in the Foothills? Yes!
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 […]
Dr. Kennedy’s Groundwater Fact List
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 […]
How to Rig the Water Game
Last Wednesday, the Stanislaus Water Advisory Committee (SWAC) finally figured out there’s groundwater on the west side of the county as well as the east. Committee members then realized there’s no representation on the committee from west side farmers. What the committee hasn’t yet realized, and will never want to face, is there is no representation from groundwater users in the city of Modesto*, no representation from fisherman, no representation […]
Why Property Rights and Groundwater Won’t Wash
Almost anyone who reflects a minute or two can see California groundwater law is based on an absurd assumption. Essentially, the law says groundwater belongs to the owner of the land above it. Once it’s acknowledged that groundwater isn’t distributed along property lines, the law doesn’t make much sense. It makes less sense once it’s understood that groundwater moves from place to place. And it becomes absurd when we realize […]
Will Supervisors Pass the Water Test?
To hear the Modesto Bee tell it, Stanislaus County Supervisors’ attempts to formulate a groundwater policy are explorations into terra incognita: “Being first can make you the focus of a lot of attention. That’s just one of the reasons Stanislaus County’s efforts to deal with water issues are important. We’re among the first in the Valley coming to grips with finding and supplying enough water to keep agriculture not just […]
Water Advisory Committee Wastes Time and Money
If your accountant told you to keep spending money until you found out how much you had, you’d fire your accountant. But insanity about money doesn’t translate to insanity about water. Spending without knowing how much you have is the rule with groundwater in California, and that’s why the state is over drafted almost everywhere. Up until recently, one of the few places that still had plenty of groundwater was […]
“What water crisis?” says OID
There’s nothing like a job as general manager of one our local water districts to give a person a rosy outlook. Seems like only yesterday Allen Short, then riding high as General Manager of the Modesto Irrigation District (MID), was touting a sale of “excess water” to the City of San Francisco. This was just prior to his exit from the MID, a departure expedited by public outcry against […]
Are the People Ready to Take Their Water Back?
On March 6, in what was called “a victory for environmentalists, sport fishers, Delta farmers and State Water Project taxpayers,” a judge ruled that the state Department of Water Resources provided an insufficient environmental review of impacts of the Kern Water Bank. Though it’s gotten little local attention, the short history of the Kern Water Bank (KWB) recounts one of the biggest water scandals in recent times. In essence, the KWB […]
Why Should Stanislaus County Groundwater Be Different?
Editor’s note: If you have a bucket of water that is one foot deep and you use one inch of water a day, it takes twelve days to empty the bucket. Most people understand this concept at a very early age. Especially over the last fifty years, many aquifers around the United States have become so depleted it’s no longer feasible to use them for irrigating farmland. Even parts of […]