Water Image

San Joaquin County Water Digest



San Joaquin County Sheriff Enforcing State Boater ID Law

12/09/2024

The San Joaquin County Sheriff will be enforcing the state boater ID law. Get the details of what you need to pilot area waters.

Victoria Island Levee Repairs Underway

12/06/2024

The levee at the southwest edge of Victoria Island was found to have sunk enough to warrant concern. Read on to learn more about this project.

South San Joaquin Irrigation District Plans Improvements

12/05/2024

Find out why SSJID is planning a five-year $125 million capital improvement project to its water delivery network.

California Officials Plan for a Dry 2025 With Grim Water Supply Guesswork

12/04/2024

Each December there’s a new version of an old guessing game about how much water will be provided to agricultural and municipal users in the year ahead.

San Joaquin Valley Ground Level Sinking

12/02/2024

Excessive groundwater pumping is behind the sinking of the ground level in the San Joaquin Valley. Read on to learn more about the Stanford University research behind this startling finding.

Unstoppable Invasion: How Did Mussels Sneak Into California, Despite Decades of State Shipping Rules?

11/25/2024

Most ships discharging ballast water into California waters are inspected, but state officials have tested the water of only 16 ships. Experts say invaders like mussels are inevitable under current rules and enforcement.

Repairs Underway on Leaking Delta Levee

11/19/2024

Read on for updated information about repairs to a leaking and damaged levee on Victoria Island which was the subject of an emergency declaration by San Joaquin County.

Ripon Eyes Water Project

11/14/2024

The City of Ripon is considering a $15.5 million project to access a new water supply. Click to find out more about this plan.

San Joaquin Valley Needs to Adapt to Climate Change

11/13/2024

Following the flooding caused by the atmospheric river storms of 2023, the San Joaquin needs to adapt to future deluges. Learn what some experts think lies ahead.

Manteca Needs Water

11/11/2024

With the explosive growth of housing in Manteca comes the need to increase water supplies. Read on for more information about plans to meet the need.

Once a Week Landscape Watering Mandated in Ripon

11/06/2024

In a bid to reduce water usage, the City of Ripon has mandated a once a week landscape watering schedule through the end of February.

Woodward Park Splash Pad Design Finalized

11/06/2024

Find out which design option was selected for the splash pad to be built at Woodward Park in Manteca.

Golden Mussels Discovered in Port of Stockton

11/01/2024

The dangerous invasive Golden Mussel has been found in the Port of Stockton, stoking fears of it spreading into the Delta.

A Century Later, Salmon Again Spawning in Klamath River After Dams Removed

10/31/2024

Sixty years ago, I was a reporter for the Klamath Falls (Oregon) Herald and News and with my family lived in a small house on the Link River, which flows out of Upper Klamath Lake, draining a large portion of the Cascade mountain range.

A Third Straight Year With No California Salmon Fishing?  Early Fish Counts Suggest It Could Happen

10/30/2024

Low counts of spawning salmon could mean another year without fishing. Experts say the outlook still has time to turn around.

Levee Failure Possible

10/30/2024

A local state of emergency was issued by San Joaquin County when an inspection revealed risk of a levee failure on Victoria Island in the Delta.

Invasive Nutria Spreading Into Delta

10/26/2024

The large aquatic rodents have spread further into the Delta, spreading destruction as they go.

Is a New Plan for Delivering Delta Water Worse Than Trump’s Rules? Environmentalists Say Yes.

10/24/2024

Growers support a federal and state proposal for operating California’s massive systems that send river water south. But it could harm more salmon and other endangered fish.

Smith Canal Flood Gate Dedicated

10/24/2024

A look at the recently completed Smith Canal flood gate project and the expected impact on Stockton residents.

California Reservoirs Are Full, but Water Politics May Trump Hydrology

10/23/2024

Most of us operate on the calendar year — the 12 months that begin on January 1 and end on December 31.

Personal Watercraft Ban Considered at Lake Camanche

10/19/2024

East Bay Municipal Utilities District is considering a ban on use of motorized personal watercraft at Lake Camanche.

Manteca Water Use Increasing

10/08/2024

Following successful conservation efforts per-capita water use by residents in the City of Manteca crept up in the month of September.

Ripon Water Use Up Over Last Year

09/18/2024

Following a hot summer, residents of the City of Ripon used 5% more water over last year.

California "30x30" Conservation Efforts Make Progress

09/08/2024

The California state goal to conserve 30% of its land and coastal waters has advanced, with conserved lands reaching 25% and coastal waters 16%.

Lodi Lake Reopened to Swimming

07/17/2024

Swimming is allowed again at Lodi Lake following closure due to bacteria alert.

Judge Temporarily Blocks State Order to Growers Who Depleted Groundwater

07/16/2024

A Kings County judge today issued a temporary restraining order against the state that pauses its unprecedented move to crack down on groundwater depletion in California’s agricultural heartland.

California Has Just Approved a New Blueprint for Offshore Wind. The Massive Projects Will Cost Billions

07/10/2024

Harnessing clean energy is a venture of unprecedented scope in California, bringing big changes to Humboldt and the Central Coast, and requiring 26 ports along the coast.

California Now Has Mandatory Water Conservation in Urban Areas: How Will the New Rules Affect Your Supplier?

07/03/2024

The measures are substantially weaker than a previous proposal after an onslaught of criticism. But they will still save enough water through 2050 to supply the state’s entire population for a year, at a cost of $4.7 billion.

Drinking Water of Almost a Million Californians Failed to Meet State Requirements

06/25/2024

Almost 400 suppliers, two-thirds in communities of color, don’t meet safety and reliability standards. Fixing them would cost billions.

Flood Protection Assessment Approved

06/21/2024

In the June 18 meeting of the San Joaquin Area Flood Control Agency, an unofficial count of mail-in ballots from stakeholder property owners indicate passage of an increase in property tax to fund levee repairs and upgrades. The count will be verified and certified in July.

Environmental Groups Appeal Sites Reservoir Ruling

06/18/2024

A new round of litigation began when environmental groups opposed to the Sites reservoir in Colusa County filed an appeal on a ruling which dismissed their suit seeking to halt the project from proceeding.

In Rain, Snow and Drought, California’s Fights Over Water Rights, Supplies Persist

06/17/2024

Legal rights to use water — particularly those obtained prior to 1914 — lie at the heart of California’s perpetual wrangling over the allocation of increasingly limited water supplies.

Featured

Water is a human right under California law, but it doesn’t always work out that way.
Agriculture and Water Shortages in the State’s Breadbasket, Explained
There are many causes contributing to this crisis. And as you may already know, this situation really is nuts.
RCDs look after the land, whether it’s used for grazing, growing, or getting out into nature.
California Dirt
RCDs were created to avoid a repeat of the Dust Bowl. Now they work with landowners to preserve the air, water and natural habitats that sustain us all.
There are more than 300 community service districts in California.
Community Services Districts, Explained
Areas that the county overlooks can form their own local governments.
Just because record rains have been falling, the state’s water crisis remains.
What Is Drought? Probably Not What You Think
Recent torrential rains have helped, but California's drought is a long way from over.
From nitrates to arsenic to “forever chemicals,” California’s water supply faces a serious pollution threat.
Dirty Water: California Faces a Water Contamination Crisis
In a state that declares water a “human right,” more than 2 percent of its residents have no drinkable water.
How California reclamation districts turned millions of acres of wetlands into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush.
Reclamation Districts: Turning ‘Swamps’ Into Farmland
From its earliest days as a state, California has been trying to turn marshes into productive land.
Since the Gold Rush era, land reclamation has cost California 90 percent of its wetlands.
How Land Reclamation Hurts California’s Environment
The hidden price tag of “reclaiming” swamps and marshes as usable land.