KDWD Newsletter November 24, 2020

Kern River Status Update

The District Office will be closed on Thursday, November 26 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. The Operations Department will still be available by phone at (661) 834-4653.

All District Facilities will begin shut down procedures on December 11th. Growers are encouraged to reach out to the Dispatch Office to let us know what demand is expected to be going into December.

The Kern Island is expected to be shut down until early January.

The November Kern Groundwater Authority meeting has been canceled. The Kern River Groundwater Sustainability Agency meeting for December has also been canceled.

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 2017-2018, 2018-2019, the current period of 2019-2020, as well as other two-year periods in which the first year was above average for the Kern River. The flows for this year are estimates only and subject to revision.

The District office is undergoing an extensive remodel and addition project that is expected to last through December. There is no public access to the main District office building and parking lot during construction. Customers may use Ramos Avenue for public parking and to visit the temporary office during this time. Our water delivery capabilities will not be diminished due to the project. We ask that in-person visits be kept to a minimum and encourage our customers to do as much business as possible over the phone. If customers must come to the District Office, they are asked to wear a mask.

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 January 7
To Be Determined
Kern River Watershed Coalition Authority
First Thursday of the month at 1:00 PM
The next meeting will be on December 3
To Be Determined
Kern Groundwater Authority
Fourth Wednesday of the month at 8:00 AM
Next Meeting: December 23
To Be Determined