Lisa McEwen, SJV Water

Some landowners in Tulare and Kings counties are facing a mandatory well registration deadline of July 1, 2026.

Residents of Allensworth celebrated a new well that will finally bring clean, abundant water to the town that was beset by water troubles soon after it was founded in 1908 by Col. Allen Allensworth.

The United States Supreme Court officially declined to hear a case alleging the federal government illegally stiffed water contractors, including the City of Fresno, when it gave them zero water during the crushing 2014-2015 drought.

The ongoing case against a Tulare County groundwater agency for allegedly not paying its fair share to fix the sinking Friant-Kern Canal will continue, according to a recent ruling.

Newly released state guidelines on how to get a handle on subsidence, or land sinking, were received with mixed reactions after they were released by the Department of Water Resources last week.

Residents of Allensworth are on the cusp of finally solving water issues that have plagued the town for more than 100 years and kept it from growing.

New subsidence guidelines from the Department of Water Resources are expected to drop on San Joaquin Valley water managers any day, a prospect that has them both hopeful and worried.

On Jan. 29, the Army Corps, which operates the dams at Kaweah and Success lakes, notified downstream users they were about to release water “at full capacity,” meaning as much as the rivers could handle.

“In the big picture, the amount of water was not huge. It was the process. He (President Trump) has no idea how bad he effed up.”

While many San Joaquin Valley towns were shrouded in tule fog, about 35 locals enjoyed a day under bright sunshine along a creekbed, dodging cowpies and traipsing through crunchy, golden sycamore leaves.