KDWD Newsletter July 1, 2025

Kern River Status Update

The District Office will be closed Friday, July 4th in observance of the Independence Day holiday. Operations will still be available for water orders.

The District expects to keep all canals running through July. Below are the anticipated shut down windows for canals an laterals in August. These dates are estimates only and subject to change based on weather and hydrology.

Eastside:

  • Utility water through August 15th with some State Water available for approximately a week later.

Buena Vista Utility:

  • Around the middle of August.

Stine Utility:

  • Early August. Approximately the first five days.

Farmers Utility:

  • Late August.

Kern Island Utility:

  • Kern Island Main and it’s laterals are expected to continue through the end of August. The last half of August may require waitlists depending on River conditions.
  • Kern Island via the Buena Vista would be available while the Buena Vista Canal is operational.
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 2023-2024, the current period of 2024-2025, as well as other two-year periods in which the second year follows an average year 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
Typicall the first Thursday of the month at 10:00 AM
The next meeting will be on July 10
City of Bakersfield Water Resources Department
1000 Buena Vista Drive, Bakersfield CA 93311
Large Conference Room
Kern River Watershed Coalition Authority
Typically the first Thursday of the month at 1:00 PM
The next meeting will be on August 7
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 27
Kern County Water Agency
3200 Rio Mirada Dr, Bakersfield, CA 93308