Agriculture

The Santa Clara Valley Water District’s board of directors voted unanimously April 11 to rescind a “water shortage emergency” that was declared in 2021 during a historic statewide drought.  But Valley Water officials still want local residents, businesses and other customers to conserve water. The...

An expansion project underway at the South County Regional Wastewater plant will increase the treatment facility’s capacity by nearly 30%, bring advanced technology to the local recycled water production system, tighten South Valley’s commitment to sustainability and help accommodate the long-term growth coming to...

The Morgan Hill Wine Trolley—the brainchild of two longtime friends who share extensive business experience and a love of South County’s charming wine country—opens to the public on Aug. 3. Founded by Christina Perez and Heather Gallegos, the Morgan Hill Wine Trolley offers passengers a...

Like many growers in Santa Clara Valley, Dilip Sharma and Hektor Luis Calderon-Victoria are eager to plant rows of fruits, vegetables and other organic, commercial crops on their unincorporated Morgan Hill farmland as soon as the long, cold, wet winter finally comes to a...

I recently went out to visit another winery in San Benito County, where the wineries and the wines share a similar place in the world of California regions—we had a history of being leaders in winemaking going back to the 19th century, we are...

The Amah Mutsun Land Trust this week announced that by the end of 2025, it will acquire a 50-acre property near the intersection of Highways 129 and 101 in San Juan Bautista—marking the first time the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band has regained full access...

Santa Clara County is considering sweeping changes to its rural zoning ordinances that would impose new building limits and require mitigation when farmland is converted to non-agricultural uses. If approved by county supervisors, the new rules could significantly affect wineries and other agricultural operations...

Local agencies finally have enough money to complete the Upper Llagas Creek Flood Protection Project, about 70 years after the massive infrastructure project was initially planned.  Valley Water celebrated the milestone Sept. 13 at the construction site in south Morgan Hill for the final phase...

About 80 people gathered March 10 in the historic Aromas Community Grange after the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) selected the Pajaro River Watershed as one of five watersheds to pilot the Watershed Resilience Program. The initiative, which is supported by a $2 million...

California’s water storage and delivery systems are in good shape heading into the rainy season, having benefited from last year’s near-historic rain and snowfall totals, according to the state’s top water managers.  Coming off three years of punishing drought conditions, last year was the sixth...