Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Good Water News for Parched Orange Cove, Madera Ranchos
bill-new-mug-002
By Bill McEwen, News Director
Published 3 years ago on
September 24, 2021

Share

The state Department of Water Resources said Wednesday that it is awarding $7.8 million to Orange Cove to fix its aging water system and $300,000 “to complete urgent repairs” on two wells in Madera Ranchos.

“This is the best news I’ve heard in my 42 years (in elected office),” said longtime Orange Cove Mayor Victor Lopez. “We’ve basically run out of water. Our people have had to let their yards go away because of the drought, and because we’re a farmworker community, we’ve felt the economic impact the drought has had on agriculture.”

The grant will enable Orange Cove, which is in eastern Fresno County, to stretch the municipal water it does have. Four miles of old pipelines will be replaced. In addition, the funds will pay for a new well, storage tank, and booster pump station. The town is reliant on water from the Central Valley Project and its allocation has been cut in drought years.

“Small communities like Orange Cove need these grants because they can’t pass the costs on to rate-payers. The residents can’t afford it,” said Fresno County Supervisor Buddy Mendes, whose district includes Orange Cove. “Now all they need is more water.”

Madera Ranchos Repairs Add Water Capacity

The broken Madera Rancho wells are in Maintenance District 10A, which services the area bounded by Avenue 13, Road 36, Kensington Drive, and Road 38 in Madera County.

It is expected that when the repairs are completed, the wells will add 1,000 gallons a minute of capacity to the troubled water system.

DWR Grants Total $28 Million for 15 Communities

DWR announced that $28 million is headed to 15 California communities —11 of which are identified as disadvantaged — with this round of funding. The agency awarded $25 million in a previous round.

The Small Community Drought Relief program is designed to provide technical and financial assistance to small communities impacted by the drought, officials said.

“As drought conditions continue, it’s clear that our smaller communities do not have the same resources as their urban counterparts to address the impacts of drought,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth in a news release. “The department is working diligently to evaluate applications and provide support to the communities that need it most.”

Said Joaquin Esquivel, chair of the State Water Resources Control Board: “The State Water Board and DWR will continue to actively engage local managers throughout the state to ensure they are aware of and accessing the support needed to manage through this difficult drought.”

To see the complete list of projects funded by the DWR grants click on this link.

 

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Cronenworth’s Big Hit Helps Lift the Padres to a 6-4 Win Over Melvin’s Giants

DON'T MISS

Shohei Ohtani Reaches 3 Times in Home Debut as the Dodgers Rout the Cardinals 7-1

DON'T MISS

Facebook News Tab Will Soon Be Unavailable as Meta Scales Back News and Political Content

DON'T MISS

Stock Market Today: Wall Street Rises to More Records to Close Out Its Latest Winning Month

DON'T MISS

A Fresno County First: Kerman Council Passes Amended Gaza Cease-Fire Resolution

DON'T MISS

UN Top Court Orders Israel to Open More Land Crossings for Aid into Gaza

DON'T MISS

How Involved Is Southern California Consulting Firm in FUSD Executive Dealings?

DON'T MISS

Biden’s Fundraiser with Obama and Clinton Nets a Record $25 Million, His Campaign Says

DON'T MISS

Fresno Unified’s Self-Protection Racket Is Hurting Our Kids

DON'T MISS

Rockin’ Out or Laughing, the Valley Has Its Pick of Weekend Events

No data was found
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

Facebook News Tab Will Soon Be Unavailable as Meta Scales Back News and Political Content

8 hours ago

Stock Market Today: Wall Street Rises to More Records to Close Out Its Latest Winning Month

8 hours ago

A Fresno County First: Kerman Council Passes Amended Gaza Cease-Fire Resolution

8 hours ago

UN Top Court Orders Israel to Open More Land Crossings for Aid into Gaza

8 hours ago

How Involved Is Southern California Consulting Firm in FUSD Executive Dealings?

8 hours ago

Biden’s Fundraiser with Obama and Clinton Nets a Record $25 Million, His Campaign Says

9 hours ago

Fresno Unified’s Self-Protection Racket Is Hurting Our Kids

9 hours ago

Rockin’ Out or Laughing, the Valley Has Its Pick of Weekend Events

10 hours ago

Ex-Correctional Officer at Women’s Prison in California Sentenced for Sexually Abusing Inmates

12 hours ago

Caitlin Clark and Iowa Draw Nearly 5 Million Viewers for Second-Round NCAA Win

12 hours ago

PGA HOPE at Riverside Golf Course Introduces Military Veterans to the Game

PGA HOPE, now underway at Fresno’s Riverside Golf Course, is designed to introduce golf to veterans and active duty military members t...

6 hours ago

PGA HOPE at Fresno's Riverside Golf Course
6 hours ago

PGA HOPE at Riverside Golf Course Introduces Military Veterans to the Game

7 hours ago

Cronenworth’s Big Hit Helps Lift the Padres to a 6-4 Win Over Melvin’s Giants

7 hours ago

Shohei Ohtani Reaches 3 Times in Home Debut as the Dodgers Rout the Cardinals 7-1

8 hours ago

Facebook News Tab Will Soon Be Unavailable as Meta Scales Back News and Political Content

8 hours ago

Stock Market Today: Wall Street Rises to More Records to Close Out Its Latest Winning Month

8 hours ago

A Fresno County First: Kerman Council Passes Amended Gaza Cease-Fire Resolution

8 hours ago

UN Top Court Orders Israel to Open More Land Crossings for Aid into Gaza

8 hours ago

How Involved Is Southern California Consulting Firm in FUSD Executive Dealings?

MENU

CONNECT WITH US

Search

Send this to a friend