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Vance Kennedy

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

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

Dr. Kennedy’s Groundwater Remedy

October 27, 2014 By Eric Caine 2 Comments

Stanislaus County Supervisors probably breathed a sigh of relief when the Modesto Bee chose not to report Dr. Vance Kennedy’s comments at their October 21 board meeting. As an award-winning hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, Kennedy accumulated a career’s worth of on-the ground experience to go along with his academic credentials. At ninety-one years of age, he remains current with research in his field, especially research involving groundwater. A […]

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

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

Supervisors Issue Blank Check to Water Miners

June 11, 2014 By Eric Caine Leave a Comment

Tuesday, June 10, Stanislaus County Supervisors issued a blank check to water miners. Of those present, only Supervisor Jim DeMartini seemed willing to speak candidly about the process. “This is like squirting water on the outhouse when your house is burning down,” he said. DeMartini was referring to the Stanislaus Water Advisory Committee’s (SWAC) seventeen point “action plan.” To many, the plan seems dedicated to avoiding groundwater problems rather than […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured Tagged With: groundwater in Stanislaus County, Jim DeMartini, Stanislaus Water Advisory Committee, Vance Kennedy

Award-Winning Scientist: Our Water Policy is “Insanity”

January 20, 2014 By Eric Caine Leave a Comment

Once when he was asked why he’s so involved in public issues, Vance Kennedy replied, “It’s my way of paying back for the opportunities I was given in public service. When I was with the [U.S. Geological] Survey (USGS), I got to do a lot of research, and I’ve always been thankful for the opportunity.” It could probably be argued that Kennedy’s work alone gave the public plenty of payback. […]

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

What Science Says About Wood Colony Soil

January 12, 2014 By Bruce Frohman Leave a Comment

Dr. Vance Kennedy

One of Vance Kennedy’s first jobs for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) was a study of “sediment transport” in streams throughout the state of Georgia. He probably got the job because of his degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and because he was the first student ever in the first course ever in the subject of Applied Geochemistry. When you study the streams and sediments of an […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured Tagged With: sandy loam soil, Vance Kennedy, Vance Kennedy hydrologist, Wood Colony Modesto

Giant Sucking Sound Threatens Stanislaus County Aquifer

May 24, 2013 By Eric Caine 2 Comments

No one knows where the rumor started, and so far no one’s been able to confirm it—the story around Stanislaus County is that the aquifer has started flowing uphill. Implausible as it may seem, the tale is based on growing awareness of just how many giant pumps are operating twenty-four hours a day in the eastern portion of the County. Over the last decade or so, land that once featured […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured Tagged With: eastern Stanislaus County, Stanislaus County aquifer, Stanislaus County groundwater, Vance Kennedy

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Off The Wire

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Warren: Voters Must Elect Dems In Midterms Who Would Nix Filibuster To Codify Roe
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A Farmer’s Quest to Beat California’s Waves of Drought and Deluge
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Ron Johnson tried to hand fake elector info to Mike Pence on Jan. 6, panel reveals
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www.politico.com
Raffensperger says he wishes Fox News carried every Jan. 6 hearing
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The Potato Roll Empire Bankrolling Christian Nationalist Doug Mastriano
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Roger Stone and Michael Flynn under fire over rallies ‘distorting Christianity’
Roger Stone and Michael Flynn under fire over rallies ‘distorting Christianity’
Prominent Christian leaders accuse Trump allies of spreading misinformation about election and Covid, while distorting Christian teachings at ReAwaken America events
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Major water cutbacks loom as shrinking Colorado River nears 'moment of reckoning'
Major water cutbacks loom as shrinking Colorado River nears ‘moment of reckoning’
As the Colorado River water shortage worsens, major cutbacks are needed to reduce most perilous risks, a federal official tells senators.
www.latimes.com
Trump Scammed Supporters Out of $250 Million for Nonexistent Fraud Fund
Trump Scammed Supporters Out of $250 Million for Nonexistent Fraud Fund
Supporters who thought they were donating to “election integrity” instead saw some of their money funneled to Trump hotels
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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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