KDWD Newsletter July 14, 2026

Kern Delta Water Supply Update

In the coming weeks, summer irrigation runs will begin to exhaust available supplies, and it will be necessary for canal systems to shut down. The following are estimated dates of shutdown and are subject to change depending on demand and River fluctuations. Please note that due to higher than expected demand in June the Farmers is expected to shut down in July rather than August as had previously been forecasted. There is no change to the summer proration amounts, however the operational window to use that water has been reduced.

  • Buena Vista Canal – August 10
  • Stine Canal and laterals – July 26
  • Farmers Canal and laterals – July 28

District assessments were sent out at the end of December 2025 and became delinquent after June 30th and are subject to penalties. If you have any questions please contact Joan at (661) 834-4656

Protect our water from Golden Mussels, use the Golden Rule: Clean. Drain. Dry. More information can be found on our website here as well as from a county wide campaign here.

Land IQ has been providing field-by-field monthly evapotranspiration (ET) and precipitation results to irrigation districts (Districts) and Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) since 2016. This tool takes ET and precipitation to the daily timestep, providing results in 1-2 days, allowing growers to better manage their water. Contact the District Office for more details at (661) 834-4656

To help visualize the current state of the River, the District is providing this graph that compares flow rates for the twelve-month periods starting October 1 of 2024-2025, the current period of 2025-2026, as well as other recent water years. 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 August 6
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 August 6
Rosedale-Rio Bravo WSD
849 Allen Road, Bakersfield, Ca 93314
Kern Non-Districted Land Authority (KNDLA)
Fourth Monday of the month at 2:00 PM
Next Meeting: July 26
Kern County Water Agency
3200 Rio Mirada Dr, Bakersfield, CA 93308