The former mayor of Visalia has penned a book on the Tulare Lake Basin and water use. Author and conservationist Greg Collins has published "Seven Generations,” now available on Amazon and at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Visalia.
The book traces water use in the basin that includes Tulare, Kings and Kern counties, where all rivers drain into Tulare Lake.
The book is timely in that Tulare Lake water districts are struggling to come up with a formula to slow land subsidence that damages aqueducts, roads, and infrastructure in the area. News reports suggest that there continues to be an overdraft of groundwater pumping even as subsidence continues as well despite the adoption of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).
This book discusses the many reasons why this hasn't worked so far and also discusses the many solutions that would work if there was the political will on the part of GSAs and the agricultural community. One inescapable fact, however, is that getting growers, urban interests, and GSAs to solve the groundwater depletion and land subsidence problems is very difficult and may require external motivation – the State’s takeover of the groundwater system in the Basin. There is plenty of opposition to the idea from farmers but scarce water may have the final word.
This book also discusses how we got into this predicament. From the sustainable natural environment of the Yokuts to the environment altering practices of wheat farmers and cattle ranchers in the early 20th century to the water managing practices of the early 20th century farmer -small farms on the east side of the Basin and Large Industrial Scale Agriculture (LISA) farms on the west side.
Will SGMA work? Only time will tell but Collins maintains that we not forget the lesson of the Arapahoe, who embraced the wide notion that today’s decisions should be based on the impact it has on the future, or the "seventh generation."
In "Seven Generations," the saga of the Tulare Lake Basin unfolds across time, revealing a tale of resilience, struggle, and hope. From the sustainable practices of the Yokuts to the modern-day challenges of groundwater depletion, the book traverses the region's rich history and uncertain future.
Through vivid storytelling and insightful analysis, "Seven Generations" explores the complexities of environmental conservation, agricultural practices, and community resilience. It confronts the harsh realities of land subsidence, aquifer depletion, and ecosystem degradation while offering pragmatic solutions for a brighter tomorrow.
Major renewable transmission upgrades coming to the area
California grid operator CAISO has proposed to invest $6.1 billion in 26 grid improvements to connect new renewable energy projects by 2035. That includes new transmission lines from the Central Coast to bring in offshore wind power to the Central Valley where it will connect to the state grid. The draft plan also will support 38,000 MW of new solar capacity in areas such as the Westlands area in Kings County and areas in the south near the city of Tehachapi, Kramer in San Bernardino County and Riverside County, as well as in southern Nevada and western Arizona. The grid projects would be completed over the next eight to 10 years
Almost all new solar projects in California will include battery storage, with the latest plan looking to improve access for battery projects co-located with solar or wind, as well as stand-alone batteries close to major load centers.
California aims to supply 100% of its power from zero-carbon sources by 2045, compared with around 60% in 2021.
The plan gives electric power developers a roadmap of where they should invest to build new solar projects in the Central Valley in the next decade and where they connect to transmission lines and substations like Gates near the Fresno/Kings County line.
Adding new transmission capacity is good news for developers of the Westland’s Solar project here. The 12-unit solar project, being built in phases, expects to generate 2.7GW — one of the world’s largest solar power plants. The solar park will provide clean energy to more than 750,000 households. It sits on about 20,000 acres of degraded or retired farmland in western Fresno and Kings counties.
The news will mean an increased interest by developers to site new solar projects close to transmission lines and where a lack of water and new state rules may make it easier to convert former farmland to solar.
Almond nursery sales trend down again in latest report
USDA says about 55% of the total almond trees sold (17,000 acres) in the latest year were for new orchards between June 2022 through May 2023. That's down from 28,000 new acres the year before and down from 36,000 acres between June 2020 and May 2021. Farmers are planting fewer almond acres as the price per pound stayed low — about $1.40/lb in 2023, down from $1.86 in 2020 and $2.45 in 2019. It was $4 a pound in 2014. Acres of almonds in California have climbed from below one million acres in 2014 to nearly 1.4 million acres today.
Dairy cow testing aimed at slowing bird flu outbreak
California Farm Bureau reports that in order to limit the spread of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in livestock, all lactating dairy cows must test negative for the virus before they can cross state lines under new requirements by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The federal order, which took effect Monday, excludes heifers, dry cows and bull calves. Culled cows going to slaughter that do not show signs of illness also are not required to be tested. But they will still need a certificate of veterinary inspection or approval by animal health officials from the state sending the cattle and the state receiving them.
USDA issued the order last week as outbreaks of the disease have spread to 33 dairy herds in eight states — Kansas, Idaho, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, South Dakota and Texas.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration also confirmed last week that fragments of the virus have been detected in one in five samples of retail milk, with a larger proportion of positive results coming from milk in areas with infected herds. Federal officials acknowledged the findings suggest the virus may be more widespread than USDA’s official count.
Despite the revelations, FDA continued to stress the safety of the commercial milk supply, saying that “pasteurization is very likely to effectively inactivate heat-sensitive viruses, like H5N1, in milk from cows and other species.”
The agency also said “additional testing is required to determine whether intact pathogen is still present and if it remains infectious, which determines whether there is any risk of illness associated with consuming the product.”