Yes, critics agree, but Boswell uses that water to irrigate in the district. The Boswell comments are ina letter sent from the El Rico GSA, while Vidovichs concerns are outlined ina letter from the Southwest Kings GSA. Related Story: Groundwater Plan Could Give Corcoran More of a Sinking Feeling. We amalgamate our water to use on our most productive land. Over the past 12 years, hes moved about 137,000 acre feet of his state water from Kings County south to nut orchards he owns on the west side of Kern, according to state and other water district records. Exactly how much is moving and who is benefitting from it are more murky questions, as water especially river and groundwater in California is notoriously hard to track. Whos Responsible for Farm Towns Multibillion Dollar Sinking? Kings and Tulare farmers and water managers want to know. Vidovich isnt the only pumper in that area, his supporters note. The Tulare Lake Canal Company only has an easement allowing it to pass water through the land. News Litigation is pending with respect to some of the suspected transfers, but not all., Sandridge is being sued by the Kings River Water Association, which claims it is moving river water outside its rightful place of use.. California Muriel started her career in the US as a personal assistant and then, 14 years was an Executive Assistant working with a large team at Eurostar International. The boundaries of that service area, however, have yet to be determined. Water War New Money Vs. Old Power in Parched California But farmers Jack Mitchell and Milt Pace are upfront about their distaste for Vidovich and especially Hurley. Latest Sunridge Partners (UK), LLP acts as the investment advisor for the Sunridge funds that invest in agribusinesses globally. Once a river is at flood stage, that usually means all other rights have been filled and the overflow is free game. When asked about the pipeline Wyrick mentions in his June 2020 letter, Vidovich says only floodwater from the Kings River may have been shipped out of the county. All rights reserved. When you have a bowl and only three straws, it takes longer to empty, Walker said. However, Vidovichs comments do not address whether all the river and groundwater is being used in Kings County or sent elsewhere a question that has become nearly impossible to answer. The cost to society of pushing out smaller farmers is harder to calculate. At this point, he said, he uses about 30 percent of his land for farming and 70 percent for water. Under his leadership, Buena Vista has installed a pipeline system to reduce reliance on canals, which lose a lot of water to seepage and the district has become extremely active in buying up land for water banking. But this much he knows certain groundwater wells in the county are running practically year round, even in wet years. It now retains about 132,000 acres in Kings as well as 3,700 acres in Tulare County and 23,000 acres in Kern County, according to ParcelQuest, a property information database. Water moves remembered It will likely never be forgotten that Vidovich sold the rights to 14,000 acre-feet of State. But its just a cover for taking water out, Pace said. But everybody talks about it, and were all concerned.. Related Story: Westlands Again Is Eyeing San Joaquin River Water. SJV Water is an independent, nonprofit news site dedicated to covering water in the San Joaquin Valley. Though he insists this flood water isnt being used and is, in fact, a nuisance, locals consider it an attempted theft of the Kings River. This is what businesses do, he said. Vidovich and a co-defendant were found guilty in 2014 of conspiracy to breach a land sale contract and ordered to pay nearly $130 million in compensatory and punitive damages. Now, Pace said, Vidovich will do the same thing on a larger scale by moving Kings and Tulare groundwater to Kern County. SANDRIDGE PARTNERS | LinkedIn LEARN MORE ▸ What We Sell. Sunridge Partners provides patient capital, deep industry expertise and a hands-on approach to achieving outsized returns for all stakeholders. This is all being driven by the JG Boswell Company out of animus, not out of practicality, Whitney told the judge. Doug Verboon, a Kings County farmer and member of the county board of supervisors, sounds weary when he talks about Kings Countys water. He asks DWR to demand a full accounting of how much water Sandridge moves, where it comes from and where it ends up. Will Pandemic Make or Break the Valley? In aprevious story about the Tulare Lake Subbasin groundwater plan, SJV Water noted that it included only vague outlines for how it planned to manage the areas overdraft and most pumping reduction plans wouldnt kick in until 2035, five years before SGMAs deadline. Its an unusual letter and I was surprised to see it, Chrissakis added. The case status is Disposed - Dismissed. Im a small guy over here and the big-time guys, well I thought they were big at 10,000 acres, even theyre selling out.. var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; Exporting large amounts of water from one farm region to another and aggressively pumping groundwater both negatively affect other landowners. Michael began his career in commodities trading at Dominion Resources, one of the largest physical and financial traders of natural gas in the US. But thats water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, not native Kings County water. Observers worry that Vidovich plans to pump Kings and Tulare counties dry, park that water in Kern County and then sell it to the highest bidder in dry years, leaving a once-thriving farm district barren. The truth, as always, probably lies somewhere in between. The only water Green Valley got was some surplus state water and natural groundwater, Pace said. But the size of farms increased 14.5% from an average 559 acres to 640 acres. Comments from the Boswell camp got downright personal, calling out Vidovich by name and all but accusing him of hiding groundwater usage by moving it through pipes outside the area. No way, according to Vidovich and his longtime associates. Construction on a controversial water pipeline in Kings County has, once again, halted. The Tulare Lake Canal Company, controlled by JG Boswell Company, moved the equipment onto the canal banks in late January to block trenching for a pipeline by Sandridge Partners, controlled by John Vidovich. Though he also acknowledged that during the drought he sold some to fellow Dudley Ridge landowner Stewart Resnick, who owns the massive Wonderful Company. In this intensively farmed, perennially dry county, water is leaving at a concerning rate. Independent farmers are selling out, said Kings County farmer Robert Smith, who grows walnuts, almonds, corn and cotton on about 1,000 acres. Combined, the two companies control close to 90,000 acre feet of the total 140,600 acre feet of contracted state water. Anything that has water on it, youre going to contend with big money. That includes land with river rights, state water contracts or even just groundwater. We are one of the largest vertically integrated almond suppliers in the world. SJV Water is an independent, nonprofit news site dedicated to covering water in the San Joaquin Valley. Ben works across all aspects of the firm from business development to portfolio company operations. Besides, Pace and others say, overreaching is another Vidovich hallmark. It got to a point where the only way we could get an approval was to go to the voters, he told the Silicon Valley Business Journal hours after filing the initiative paperwork in April 2016.
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