Hurtado to CA Water Commission: Keep water funds meant for the Valley in the Valley

Today, Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) issued the following statement regarding a bi-partisan letter she sent that urges the California Water Commission to prioritize water storage projects in the Central Valley when assessing how to reallocate funds from Proposition 1: “California is facing a water crisis and a potential food crisis, one that could have been […]

CalChamber talks ag with California Department of Food and Ag Secretary

California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross joined the California Chamber of Commerce last week to speak on important issues facing the state’s food and agriculture sector. The virtual event, “A Conversation on Issues Facing California Agriculture,” was held on May 10 and was moderated by President and CEO of Blue Diamond Growers, […]

Westlands Water District applauds Gov. Newsom’s drought declaration, investment in water infrastructure repairs

In response to California Governor Gavin Newsom’s expansion of the drought emergency to include the Central Valley, Tom Birmingham, Westlands Water District general manager, issued the following statement: “The realities of a changing climate mean California must prepare for longer, hotter droughts that can only be effectively mitigated through collaborative approaches that focuses equally on […]

National agriculture, water coalition highlights need for more water investments in Biden infrastructure proposal

Recognizing the constructive elements of conservation, efficiency, recycling and watershed management included in the Biden administration’s initial infrastructure proposal, a national coalition of more than 200 agricultural organizations and urban and rural water districts said today it would urge the federal government to further bolster investment in the nation’s aging water facilities. In January, the […]

Westlands awarded $1.6m WaterSMART grant from Bureau of Reclamation

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has announced that Westlands Water District was awarded a $1,609,000 grant from Reclamation’s WaterSMART Fiscal Year 2021 Water and Energy Efficiency Grant Program. The grant was awarded to fund the District’s Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) Project, which will retrofit 760 manually read groundwater well meters with advanced, automated metering devices that […]