Desert-based water agency eyes multi-million dollar deal to buy water out of Kings County

Water is getting very expensive.  And that is the purpose of the Democrat policy of no new dams and no expansion of current dams, for the past forty years.  While our population has grown by about 20 million people in that time period, we have lost water sources.  Worse, Newsom is spending over $350 million of your tax dollars to close down four dams in Oregon, that help provide us with water and energy—without any replacement.

“The deal requires approval from the Dudley Ridge Water District and the Department of Water Resources and will total $6.4 million. 

The cost per acre-foot would come to $8,528, and the deal will not be a one-time purchase, but rather a permanent sale. 

Oh, this will inflate the cost of food produced in the Central Valley and add to inflation.

Desert-based water agency eyes multi-million dollar deal to buy water out of Kings County

DANIEL GLIGICH, The Sun,   8/4/22   

A Kern County water agency is looking to purchase water from a state contractor located in Kings County. 

Earlier this week, the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority, located in eastern Kern County, signed a letter of intent to buy the lifetime rights to 750 acre-feet of Kings River water from Utica J.L.J. LLC. 

SJV Water first reported the deal. 

Utica J.L.J. is a State Water Project contractor located in Kings County that is developing a truck stop and industrial center south of Kettleman City on a 400-acre location at Utica Ave. and Interstate 5. 

The deal requires approval from the Dudley Ridge Water District and the Department of Water Resources and will total $6.4 million. 

The cost per acre-foot would come to $8,528, and the deal will not be a one-time purchase, but rather a permanent sale. 

This is not the first time that state water from Dudley Ridge has been permanently sold. 

In 2009, water giant John Vidovich sold 14,000 acre-feet of state contracted water to the Mojave Water District in Apple Valley for $77 million, coming out to $5,500 per acre-foot. 

While the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority is not a state contractor, the water publication reported that it has held discussions with the Antelope Valley-East Kern Water Agency to store the Dudley Ridge water. 

A feasibility study is currently in the works to explore extending an existing pipeline from California City to the Indian Wells Valley, which would be funded by a $7.6 million grant from the Department of Water Resources. 

Why is the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority looking to purchase state water? 

That’s because the authority only has 7,600 acre-feet of natural flow annually while pumping out 28,000 acre-feet of groundwater. 

The outflow to inflow discrepancy led the authority to impose a replenishment fee to all groundwater pumpers of $2,130 per acre-foot over a five-year period, which is expected to raise $50 million to be used to purchase more water.