environment Archives

Kern River legal wrangling raises questions about how – or whether – the river can serve the needs of people, fish and ag

October 13, 2023

• by Lois Henry

Kern County Superior Court Judge Gregory Pulskamp came back several times during an Oct. 13 hearing to what he saw as a “major issue” in the dispute over keeping water in the Kern River – its plumbing. The plaintiffs, a group of entities headed by Bring Back the Kern, have argued that water could flow…

Floods • Uncategorized

Red tape kept Bakersfield from clearing Kern River channel for years

April 19, 2023

• by Lois Henry

It isn’t just water that’s been barreling down the Kern River in this historic water year. Trees, shrubs, trash – even old appliances – have come swirling down the river bed, plucked out by heavy equipment and piled on the banks in massive heaps. City of Bakersfield crews, along with other agencies, worked round the…

dams • Rivers

A massive effort – restoring the San Joaquin River

November 22, 2022

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

The San Joaquin River is a vital source of water for agriculture and the environment and it is also home to a unique program that hopes to restore native fish runs. It is a complex program and SJV Water was fortunate to take advantage of a tour offered through the Water Education Foundation Nov. 2-3…

Rivers

Kern River among top 10 “most endangered rivers” in the country

April 18, 2022

• by Lois Henry

The lower Kern River earned the dubious distinction of being named one of the country’s 10 “most endangered rivers,” according to American Rivers, a national environmental group that has highlighted rivers suffering pollution and other threats for the past 36 years. The group listed “excessive water withdrawls” as the main threat to the lower Kern,…

Rivers

VIDEO: Shocking fish for science

January 18, 2022

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

In early December, the Kings River Conservation District did its annual fish population survey of the Kings River in California’s San Joaquin Valley. The survey is meant to assess the health of the river and the fish populations. Scientists and volunteers captured fish in the river through a unique and the fish populations. Scientists and…

Rivers

State is asking the wrong questions on Kern River water case, critics argue

January 13, 2022

• by Lois Henry

A notice for the next round of state hearings on whether there’s “loose” water on the Kern River prompted exasperation from one attorney and a letter from a Bakersfield group beseeching the state to change its focus. Like the last round held December 9-10, the hearings set for March 15-18 and April 5 and 6,…