As people celebrate Independence Day, San Joaquin Valley Air District officials are warning about the unhealthy air created by fireworks. "We are asking Valley residents to be mindful and considerate of their neighbors and the many sensitive individuals whose health may be impacted by the emissions that come from...
With Rain and Snow ‘Well Below Normal’, Some Farms Get Just 5% Water Allocation
The Bureau of Reclamation announced its initial 2021 water supply allocation for Central Valley Project contractors on Tuesday. Agricultural water service contractors south of the Delta are allocated 5% of their contract supply. “Although we had a couple of precipitation-packed storms in January and early February, we are still well...
Opinion: Don’t Fall for Fossil Fuel Propaganda
The consequences of climate change do not impact all Californians equally, and here in the San Joaquin Valley, community members and agricultural workers are on the frontlines of the air pollution, water scarcity and increased heat that are inextricably tied to climate change. Our health, well-being and future prosperity depend...
How Many Valley Drinking Water Wells Will Go Dry in 20 Years?
If all goes according to plan — actually 26 groundwater sustainability plans — between 46,000 and nearly 130,000 Central Valley residents could be out of water by 2040, according to a new report released by the Water Foundation. Those sustainability plans are supposed to bring the Valley’s depleted aquifers into...
Billions in COVID Aid Will Go to Farms. But Farmers Say It’s Not Enough.
Ryan Indart says he may have to kill off some of the sheep at his east Clovis ranch this fall. With restaurants shuttered amid the coronavirus pandemic, he has no market for his animals. When a new flock arrives in October, he won’t have enough space in his pasture if...
COVID-19 Shreds the Huron Lettuce Harvest. Are Melons Next?
COVID-19 isn't just killing people. It also killed part of the spring lettuce harvest in the Huron district on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. And unless something changes, melons, garlic, and tomatoes could be next, warns farmer Mark Borba of Borba Farms. Borba shot a video of...
Officials Say 'Stay at Home' as Coronavirus Cases, Deaths Rise in Valley
Valley public health officials joined national medical experts and President Trump on Monday saying that the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic may be weeks away and reminding people to stick with social distancing and good hygiene. The Fresno County Health Department, for example, stated on its website that "more cases...
Fresno Is Sicker and Has a Doctor Shortage. So Coronavirus Poses a Huge Threat, Experts Warn.
The central San Joaquin Valley for years has struggled to attract medical doctors, with physician-to-resident ratios well below what medical experts say is needed for adequate healthcare. That was before the coronavirus pandemic. Now the rapid spread of COVID-19 may well expose the Fresno area to even greater risk if...
What Is SGMA? Here Are the Basics.
By Lois Henry SJV.org The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act was passed in 2014 and enacted in 2015. It aims to stop groundwater overpumping in critically overdrafted basins by 2040 and bring them into “sustainability.” Sustainability is defined as avoiding undesirable results: 1. Chronic lowering of groundwater. 2. Reduction of groundwater storage....
Walters: Bullet Train Follies
As oft-noted in this space, those in California’s state government — governors, legislators and agency directors — have an unfortunate habit of starting programs and projects that are never fully implemented. These governmental orphans fall roughly into two categories, those that have some valid rationale and those that don’t. For...