KDWD Newsletter October 12, 2021

Kern River Status Update Current national weather forecasters are expecting generally dry conditions to continue into the middle part of the winter. Due to the nature of the District’s River entitlements, a low River flow in December results in a shorter shut down period for the Kern Island Canal and it’s laterals. In order for the District to complete needed maintenance in a timely matter, the Central Canal will be shut down on October 17th and will stay offline until November 1st. This will reduce the amount of work that will need to be completed during the District’s normal December shut down as well as ensure that District facilities will be in good order going into 2022.

To help visualize the current state of the River, the District is providing this graph that compares flow rates for the current and last month 2020, the current year of 2021, as well as other years in which the previous year was below 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 November 4 Water Resources Department 1000 Buena Vista Road Kern River Watershed Coalition Authority First Thursday of the month at 1:00 PM The next meeting will be on November 4 To Be Determined Kern Groundwater Authority Fourth Wednesday of the month at 8:00 AM Next Meeting: October 27 To Be Determined