Rep. Jim Costa and U.S. Sen. Diane Feinstein introduced the bipartisan Canal Conveyance Capacity Restoration Act on Thursday, a bill to authorize more than $653 million to restore the capacity of three San Joaquin Valley canals. Restoring these canals would improve California’s drought resilience and help farmers comply with limits on...
California Water Stockings Stuffed With $1 Billion in Federal Funding
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...
Congress Kicks in $206 Million to Fix Leaky Friant-Kern Canal
Efforts to repair a long stretch of the Friant-Kern Canal got a major boost in the $900 billion COVID-19 relief package passed Monday night. The congressional package includes $206 million for canal repairs that are expected to begin in early 2021. The bill is on President Donald Trump's desk, and...
Proposed Agreement Could Boost Funds To Fix Friant-Kern Canal
In what was hailed as a “landmark agreement,” farmers in an area of southern Tulare County blamed for sinking the Friant-Kern Canal from excessive groundwater pumping will chip in a hefty amount to help pay for a fix. How hefty could be decided by their payment choice. A longer-term payment...
No California Funding for Friant-Kern Canal Fix
Any hope that the state of California might kick in to fix the sagging Friant-Kern Canal was killed Thursday when a bill providing $400 million toward the effort was stripped of all funding. The bill, SB 559 by State Sen. Melissa Hurtado, D-Sanger, had been stuck in the suspense file...
Could ‘Angel Investors’ Buy a Piece of Friant-Kern Canal?
An investor funding proposal that could substantially increase the Friant-Kern Canal’s historic flow capacity is gaining interest among the Friant Water Authority’s member districts. In theory, that investor money could bump the amount of water that has historically flowed down the canal on the Central Valley’s eastern flank by up...
Extra $11M Coming for Friant-Kern Canal Repairs
Repair work on the Friant-Kern Canal is getting $11 million in new federal funding, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Tuesday. The funds are coming from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. They are in addition to $2.35 million that Congress designated to fix the canal's sinking and leaking sections. "Restoring...
Cox's Latest Bill Would Repair Sinking Friant-Kern Canal
Congressman TJ Cox (D-Fresno) has introduced a bill that would help fix the failing Friant-Kern Canal. Dubbed the Move Water Now Act, H.R. 5316 would provide $200 million in funds to repair a 33-mile middle section of the 152-mile canal. That amount is expected to cover half of the repair...