Water
La Niña looms in Pacific as new water year begins
California's water bucket is not even half full as the state enters the 2022 water year, which began Oct. 1. Two years of drought has depleted the state's surface and groundwater supplies, and weather forecasters... more »
UC Davis to lead groundwater and irrigated agriculture sustainability study
Researchers from the University of California, Davis, have been awarded a $10 million grant by the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture to find ways to sustain irrigated agriculture while improving groundwater quantity and quality... more »
Reclamation awards contract for Friant-Kern Canal repairs
The Bureau of Reclamation and Friant Water Authority (FWA) announced Oct. 7 the selection of a construction contractor to begin work on the Friant-Kern Canal Middle Reach Capacity Correction Project. Brosamer & Wall/Tutor Perini Joint... more »
Research seeks resilience for California aquifers
One day in early October, a group of University of California, Merced, students went to the campus Smart Farm, augurs in hand, to explore the soil for the best spots to locate moisture sensors. They... more »
Biden pursues reversal of rules for California water projects
The struggle over management of water supplied through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta continues as the Biden administration seeks a reversal of rules put in place by agencies under the Trump administration. In early October, the... more »
California budget adds funds for ‘climate smart’ farming
Drought and climate loom large in the latest state budget, with programs aimed at helping farmers and ranchers with funding boosts. A $15 billion climate response program includes $1.1 billion to support "Climate Smart Agriculture"... more »
Western Lake Erie Basin farmers can get phosphorus reduction funds
Farmers in the Western Lake Erie Basin – including parts of Ohio, Michigan and Indiana – can earn money through a phosphorus load reduction pilot program. The “Phosphorus Load-Reduction Stimulation Program” (PLUS-UP) program, coordinated by... more »
Water woes challenge Western ag
In September, when funding was gutted for a much-anticipated water bill, then withdrawn from the floor of the California state legislature, growers responded with fighting words. Senate Bill 559, also known as the State Water... more »