KDWD Newsletter June 29, 2021

Kern River Status Update

The last B-120 forecast by DWR projected that the April through July runoff for the Kern River would be around 17% of normal. While this is slightly higher than the observed 13% of average for that same time period in 2015, June 2021 is on track to beat the record set in 2015 for lowest June runoff for the Kern River. Inflow into Lake Isabella continues to drop. District storage in Lake Isabella is also dropping faster than anticipated due to low River inflow and high in district demand.

District staff is monitoring the situation daily to best manage the water supplies we have. As conditions continue to worsen, it will be necessary for the District to institute a waiting list on the Kern Island, similar to operations in 2015.

To help visualize just how far the River has dropped, the District is providing this graph, showing River flow starting in mid-April to today, compared to what the River did in 2013 and 2015.

The Kern River Groundwater Sustainability Agency meeting for July has been canceled.

Below is a list of upcoming meetings that may interest our growers. The information presented at these meetings may directly affect agricultural practices and costs.

Upcoming Meetings:

Kern River Groundwater Sustainability Agency
First Thursday of the month at 10:00 AM
The next meeting will be on August 5
To Be Determined
Kern River Watershed Coalition Authority
First Thursday of the month at 1:00 PM
The next meeting will be on July 1
Via Microsoft Teams
See agenda for call in information.
Kern Groundwater Authority
Fourth Wednesday of the month at 8:00 AM
Next Meeting: July 28
To Be Determined