KDWD Newsletter April 2, 2024

Kern River Status Update

Last week the Department of Water Resources updated their March 1 B-120 forecast. Utilizing automatic remote sensors, and approximately ten days of forecasted precipitation from the California-Nevada River Forecast Center and the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes. The 50% exceedance (which assumes normal precipitation for the remainder of the year) increased slightly, showing 430,000 acre-feet of runoff for the Kern River during the months of April through July. This is about 95% of the long term historical average for the Kern River.

To help visualize the current state of the River, the District is providing this graph that compares flow rates for the two-year periods of 2022-2023, the current period of 2023-2024, as well as other two-year periods in which the second year follows a significantly above average for the Kern River. The flows for this year are estimates only and subject to revision.
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 April 4
City of Bakersfield Water Resources Department
1000 Buena Vista Drive, Bakersfield CA 93311
Large Conference Room
Kern River Watershed Coalition Authority
First Thursday of the month at 1:00 PM
The next meeting will be on April 4
Rosedale-Rio Bravo WSD
849 Allen Road, Bakersfield, Ca 93314
Kern Groundwater Authority
Fourth Wednesday of the month at 8:00 AM
Next Meeting: April 24
To Be Determined