KDWD Newsletter April 16, 2024

Kern River Status Update

Transfer water may be available at times through the remainder of April in order to meet end of month storage caps. As always, growers district wide are encouraged to reach out to the Dispatch Office to let us know of any potential demand.

Last week the Department of Water Resources (DWR) issued their B-120 April 1 Forecast. That forecast incorporated the 6-day forecasted precipitation from the California Nevada River Forecast Center and then assumes median climatology for the remainder of the forecast period. The 50% exceedance for the Kern River from April through July is 440,000 acre feet. That is 103% of average for DWR’s model period from 1991 to 2020. That is 97% of the Kern Rivers long term historical average. Given this forecast, the District anticipates that water will be available to all Utility ground through the end of August though waiting lists may be necessary from time to time. Prorations for State ground will be released later this month.

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 May 2
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 May 2
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