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KCWA & WAKC Historic Water Year Video

Kern County Water Agency Marks Historic Water Year 2023, Securing Water Supply for the Region

BAKERSFIELD —The Kern County Water Agency (Agency) announces the successful culmination of Water Year 2023. The year was marked by unprecedented water levels in the Kern River and record-breaking precipitation, securing water supply for the previously drought-stricken Bakersfield and neighboring communities. The Agency and the Water Association of Kern County collaborated in commemorating this historic water year with a visual narrative video entitled, “Charting The Course: Managing an Extraordinary Water Year 2023”.
What contributed to this remarkable water year? Notably, all water destined for Kern County remained in the county, benefiting the local community and economy. Local water managers enacted a collaborative and comprehensive plan spearheaded by the Kern River Watermaster. The plan to secure Kern River runoff involved seamless coordination with State, federal and local entities, including the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), the United States Bureau of Reclamation and the United States Army Corps of Engineers.
Additional contributing factors to the successful water year include increased spring runoff, strong snowpack and reservoir utilization. The spring runoff was an extraordinary 429 percent of the average, equating to approximately 1.8 million acre-feet (af) of water flowing into Lake Isabella. This surge comes after enduring years of drought, signifying a remarkable reversal in water availability. Local agencies effectively managed and retained the increased water within Kern County. These local agencies successfully recharged 600,000 af of water on the Kern Water Bank, surpassing the capacity of Lake Isabella. Within the 2023 calendar year, over 1,000,000 af of water was successfully recharged within Kern County, marking a significant achievement in water management and sustainability.
Nearly 2,270,000 af of water were derived from the snowpack, which reached 320 percent of the average, enough to fill Lake Isabella four times during the year. Recharge of this runoff into groundwater banking projects, , in turn, attracted a diverse population of up to 35,000 water birds.
The surplus water recharged will have a substantial economic impact, benefiting not only Kern County but also communities from the Bay Area to Southern California, who also store their water in Kern County.
Tom McCarthy, General Manager of the Kern County Water Agency, comments, “In an extraordinary water year, like the one California had in 2022-23, in order to secure what mother nature provided, you need an incredible amount of cooperation from the federal to the state to the local level, and that’s what we experienced this past year. People really rolled up their sleeves and worked together.”

 

 

 

Kern County Water Splash – Rosedale Rio-Bravo ponds

The Ponds on Allen Road

Anyone who has ever driven down Allen Road near Brimall in Bakersfield has likely noticed a group of ponds to the west. This video about the Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water S torage District explains what those ponds are and how they benefit the residents of the area.

Kern County Water Splash

Semitropic Water S torage District Solar Energy Project

Semitropic Water S torage District in Wasco, CA added a solar energy project to help district farmers lessen energy costs for pumping water. Here is a video with details of this energy-saving project.

The Ponds on Allen Road

Anyone who has ever driven down Allen Road near Brimall in Bakersfield has likely noticed a group of ponds to the west. This video about the Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water S torage District explains what those ponds are and how they benefit the residents of the area.

The Beardsley Canal

The Beardsley Canal has run through Oildale for more than 100 years. But many residents don’t know what it’s used for and why it was built. Here’s a video about the Beardsley Canal.

Water Fact

A landowner whose property borders a river has a right to use water from that river on his land. This is called riparian rights.

Join the Water Association of Kern County

Help support education, outreach and information about water issues in Kern County.

The Water Association of Kern County is embarking upon a new, stronger effort to educate the general public about water issues that effect Kern County. A newly designed website, videos, Facebook and Twitter are all methods that will be used as a way of reaching the public. Messages will be simple and clear and provide many sources of information about water so that citizens  and policy makers can become informed and be better decision makers. Learn More ▸

High-Flow Members

River Run Members