Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Fresno City Gets Extension in Herndon 4-Story Apartment Case

2 days ago

With Major Heat Risk Forecast, This Is a Good Weekend to Stay Indoors in Fresno

2 days ago

Trump Says Intel Has Agreed to Deal for US to Take 10% Equity Stake

2 days ago

Epstein Associate Maxwell Says She Never Saw Trump Behave Inappropriately

2 days ago

Pew: US Immigrant Population Declines for First Time in Nearly 60 Years

2 days ago

Powell, Citing Jobs Risk, Opens Door to Cuts but Doesn’t Commit

2 days ago

FBI Agents Search Ex-Trump Adviser Bolton’s Home, Source Says

2 days ago

Gaza City Officially in Famine, With Hunger Spreading, Says Global Hunger Monitor

2 days ago

Gavin Newsom’s Redistricting Plan Is on Its Way to Voters. What You Need to Know

3 days ago
California Water Stockings Stuffed With $1 Billion in Federal Funding
Portrait of GV Wire News Director Bill McEwen
By Bill McEwen, News Director
Published 5 years ago on
December 23, 2020

Share

Christmas came early for California water interests with more than $1 billion in federal funding for a variety of projects packed into the recent federal funding bill that included COVID-19 relief.

At the top of the list for the San Joaquin Valley is $206 million to aid in repairing the Friant-Kern Canal.

The funding bill also includes $28 million for the San Joaquin River Restoration.

Portrait of SJVWater.org chief executive officer Lois Henry

Lois Henry

SJV Water

It has another $8 million to “repair Bureau of Reclamation canals” specifically to help recharge aquifers to comply with the state’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, according to a press release from Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s office.

And there’s a small but significant stocking stuffer to create and fund a new “Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program” within the Department of the Interior, which could be extremely helpful for San Joaquin Valley water managers.

Funding the Friant-Kern Canal

The biggest ticket item, though, is the Friant-Kern Canal.

The Bureau of Reclamation, which owns the canal, had already kicked in $50 million for pre-construction environmental and planning work.

It had requested another $71 million through the Water Infrastructure Investments for the Nation Act of 2016 (WIIN Act).

It boosted that request to $206 million earlier this month and got it.

Assuming the funding bill is signed, that will mean the feds have put $256 million toward the project.

Friant contractors will then have to match that money, according to Jason Phillips, general manager of the Friant Water Authority, which operates the canal.

The funding bill also includes $28 million for the San Joaquin River Restoration.

The overall cost to bring the canal to its full, originally designed carrying capacity of 4,000 cubic feet per second will be about $500 million.

But the authority is tackling the fix in smaller, phased bites, Phillips said.

“This is a three-year project,” he said.

The authority will be starting with the most damaged segments of the canal in what’s known as the “middle reach,” a 33-mile stretch south of Pixley that has sunk due to excessive groundwater pumping.

Fixing that section will involve building an entirely new canal for 20 miles, along with other repairs.

The authority has already begun work on acquiring the right of way and anticipates construction to begin sometime in April.

Costs for the first portion of the project haven’t been nailed down, but Phillips estimated it would be in the $200 million to $300 million range.

That means Friant contractors will have to pay between $100 million and $150 million for that portion.

Matching Funds

A settlement agreement with the Eastern Tule Groundwater Sustainability Agency recently approved by the Friant Water Authority, could bring in between $200 million and $125 million, as reported last week by SJV Water.

That would go a long way toward paying the required match for the first phase of the project.

Lands within the Eastern Tule GSA, for the most part, aren’t in water districts served by the Friant-Kern Canal and rely almost exclusively on groundwater pumping, which has been blamed for sinking the canal.

The Eastern Tule GSA is expected to review the settlement agreement at its meeting next month.

Assuming the federal share and Eastern Tule GSA amounts come in, that would be enough to bring the Friant-Kern Canal back to its historic carrying capacity of around 2,500 cubic feet per second, plus a little extra, or 2,750 CFS.

Friant contractors, even those north of the sag who aren’t affected by reduced capacity, have agreed to share equally in the costs to get the canal back to that point.

Full Steam

Getting the Friant-Kern Canal to its full, originally designed capacity of 4,000 CFS is a different story.

The canal has never run that high because of construction flaws near the Kings River crossing.

But given the need to move greater volumes of water in high-flow years to help restore aquifers under the state’s new Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, several Friant contractors are pushing to bring the canal to its full carrying potential.

That’s where private investment could come in.

The Friant Water Authority surveyed its contractors over the summer to see how many would be interested in investing extra to build out the canal to 4,000 CFS.

The survey asked how much each contractor might invest and the source of that money.

At least one of those surveys listed a private company, Renewable Resources Group, as a potential partner in $130 million for 650 CFS capacity in a larger Friant-Kern Canal.

That sparked concerns among some Friant contractors including Orange Cove Irrigation District which wrote a letter opposing private investment.

“As they say, ‘water moves uphill toward money,’ and the OCID has concerns with investors’ maneuvering and profiting on the value of water in and of itself, disregarding its direct utility and benefit to the Valley,” the letter states.

Phillips said investment strategies are up to each individual water district, not the authority. He added that no one is asking how contractors are paying for this initial phase.

For now, with prospect of federal funding to keep the first phase going, the issue of private investment is on the back burner, Phillips said.

Snow Forecast Funding

One of the smaller ornaments on the Christmas tree of water projects in Monday’s federal spending bill was $3 million for a so-called “Snow Water Forecasting Program” within the Department of the Interior.

Snow water forecasting may not have the flash and recognition of some of the other water projects, but it could be huge for water management in the San Joaquin Valley.

The measure included another $15 million over the next five years.

That may not have the flash and recognition of some of the other water projects, but it could be huge for water management in the San Joaquin Valley.

That’s because predicting runoff from Sierra watersheds that feed Valley reservoirs from Yosemite down to down to Mount Whitney is difficult at best as it relies on widely scattered electronic snow sensors and infrequent physical surveys.

Those methods are helpful, but have an accuracy range of 50% to 90%.

The new forecasting money would pay for an airborne snow observatory (ASO) program to complement those conventional methods.

For the past few years, valley water districts have been paying independently for ASO flights, which measure snow depth and water content using LIDAR (light detection and ranging). ASO along with conventional measurements boosts accuracy to between 96% and 99%.

The information is invaluable in managing runoff.

But the flights are pricey, about $90,000 each.

The state Department of Water Resources has participated in some flights, but to cover watersheds statewide would cost $15 million a year and legislative attempts to come up with that kind of money haven’t succeeded.

Still, DWR has paid for some flights, such as the new “bare earth” ASO flight over the upper San Joaquin River watershed where the Creek Fire scorched more than 25% of the land.

“The next flight is tentatively scheduled for the first of February,” said Phillips, general manager of the Friant Water Authority, which depends on San Joaquin River water to supply nearly a million acres of farmland from Millerton Lake down to Arvin.

He said the authority has about $300,000 budgeted this year for ASO flights, as needed and coordinates with other watersheds up the Valley.

The new federal funding will likely cover watersheds throughout the Bureau of Reclamation’s jurisdiction, not just California.

About the Author

SJV Water is a nonprofit, independent online news publication covering water in the San Joaquin Valley. Lois Henry is the CEO/editor of SJV Water. She can be reached at lois.henry@sjvwater.org. The website is www.sjvwater.org.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Fatally Shoot Man Armed With Knives After Standoff

DON'T MISS

Why Epstein’s Furious Grip on Washington Holds

DON'T MISS

US Envoy Meets Netanyahu on Lebanon and Syria, Israeli Officials Say

DON'T MISS

Gerry Spence, Renowned for Courtroom Victories and Unique Style, Dead at 96

DON'T MISS

Pentagon Working on Plans for Military Deployment in Chicago, Washington Post Reports

DON'T MISS

Widespread Protests Held in Australia to Support Palestinians

DON'T MISS

VP Vance Says Russia Has Made Significant Concessions Toward Ukraine Peace Deal

DON'T MISS

Israel Strikes Yemeni Capital Sanaa

DON'T MISS

Howard University President to Step Down This Month

DON'T MISS

Hollywood’s Biggest AI Debut? Las Vegas Sphere’s ‘Wizard of Oz’

UP NEXT

Judge Blocks Trump From Withholding Funds From Los Angeles, Other Sanctuary Cities

UP NEXT

California Cities Lack Unified Response On Homeless Encampments

UP NEXT

California Voters Still Support High-Speed Rail, Even If It Never Gets Done

UP NEXT

Fresno Crash Sends Car Into Building After Running Red Light

UP NEXT

Fresno City Gets Extension in Herndon 4-Story Apartment Case

UP NEXT

Atwater Prison Inmate Charged for Threatening to Kill Prosecutor’s Family

UP NEXT

Fresno Firefighters Contain Cambridge Avenue Blaze, No Injuries Reported

UP NEXT

With Major Heat Risk Forecast, This Is a Good Weekend to Stay Indoors in Fresno

UP NEXT

Remembering Ron McCary, Who Did It All for KMJ

UP NEXT

Community Shares Messages of Support for Joseph Castro While He Is in Hospice Care

Bill McEwen,
News Director
Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email

Gerry Spence, Renowned for Courtroom Victories and Unique Style, Dead at 96

10 hours ago

Pentagon Working on Plans for Military Deployment in Chicago, Washington Post Reports

10 hours ago

Widespread Protests Held in Australia to Support Palestinians

10 hours ago

VP Vance Says Russia Has Made Significant Concessions Toward Ukraine Peace Deal

10 hours ago

Israel Strikes Yemeni Capital Sanaa

10 hours ago

Howard University President to Step Down This Month

11 hours ago

Hollywood’s Biggest AI Debut? Las Vegas Sphere’s ‘Wizard of Oz’

11 hours ago

Fresno State Bulldogs Can’t Find Answer for Daniels in Loss at Kansas

23 hours ago

Hegseth Authorizes Troops in DC to Carry Weapons

1 day ago

Texas, Florida Seek to Join Legal Challenge to Abortion Pill

1 day ago

Fresno Police Fatally Shoot Man Armed With Knives After Standoff

Fresno police officers fatally shot a 35-year-old man armed with knives Saturday afternoon after a standoff at an apartment complex, authori...

4 hours ago

Fresno police fatally shot Joseph Merical, 35, on Saturday, August 23, 2025, after a standoff at a west Fresno apartment complex. (Fresno PD)
4 hours ago

Fresno Police Fatally Shoot Man Armed With Knives After Standoff

U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein appears in a photograph taken for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services' sex offender registry March 28, 2017 and obtained by Reuters July 10, 2019. New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
10 hours ago

Why Epstein’s Furious Grip on Washington Holds

U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack attends an interview with Reuters in Beirut, Lebanon July 22, 2025. (Reuters File)
10 hours ago

US Envoy Meets Netanyahu on Lebanon and Syria, Israeli Officials Say

Former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos arrives at court with lawyer Gerry Spence. June 28, 1990. (Reuters File)
10 hours ago

Gerry Spence, Renowned for Courtroom Victories and Unique Style, Dead at 96

The Pentagon building is seen in Arlington, Virginia, U.S, April 6, 2023. (Reuters File)
10 hours ago

Pentagon Working on Plans for Military Deployment in Chicago, Washington Post Reports

Demonstrators hold placards as they take part in the 'Nationwide March for Palestine' protest in Sydney, Australia, August 24, 2025. REUTERS/Hollie Adams
10 hours ago

Widespread Protests Held in Australia to Support Palestinians

Firefighters work at the site of a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the village of Sknyliv on the outskirts of Lviv, Ukraine August 21, 2025. (Reuters File)
10 hours ago

VP Vance Says Russia Has Made Significant Concessions Toward Ukraine Peace Deal

Smoke billows from the site of Israeli air strikes in Sanaa, Yemen August 24, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer
10 hours ago

Israel Strikes Yemeni Capital Sanaa

Search

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Send this to a friend