Urban and Agriculture Water Usage

Urban Water Use

Most people just turn on the bathtub faucet and never think about where their water comes from. But behind that clear flow of water is a network of water systems, providers and people who work hard to bring local families clean, healthy drinking water each day.

Bakersfield and Kern County residents get their water from a variety of sources.

In the City of Bakersfield water system, there are 50 active groundwater wells and six booster stations that pump water for residents. The city owns the water distribution system, but Cal Water Service Co. (Cal Water) operates it under contract with the city. The city also owns and operates the river channel throughout the city as well as 2,800 acres of recharge ponds along the Kern River.

This City of Bakersfield water system provides water supplies to approximately 35 percent of Bakersfield. The remaining 65 percent of residents are supplied by other retail water companies, including Cal Water, East Niles Community Services District and Vaughn Mutual Water Company. Other agencies serving the unincorporated Bakersfield area include North of the River Municipal Water District and Oildale Mutual Water Company.These purveyors, and the city, purchase imported water (from state and federal water sources, mainly in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta area), through the Kern County Water Agency’s (KCWA) Improvement District No. 4 (ID 4).

Cal Water is the largest municipal water supplier in the Bakersfield area with a combination of groundwater (65 percent), Kern River water (18 percent) and purchased water from KCWA (about 17 percent.)

Vaughn Mutual Water Company provides water to the northwest portion of Bakersfield and receives supplies strictly from groundwater pumping.

Several agriculture water districts have a contract with the City of Bakersfield for about 70,000 acre-feet of Kern River water. These contracts expire in 2011. The water provided to these ag districts is transported through a series of canals throughout Bakersfield.

ID 4 is a wholesale water district formed to obtain and administer water from the State of California for State Water Project (SWP)supplies. ID 4 water sources include the SWP, Kern River, Central Valley Project and groundwater banking projects.

For detailed information about water in the City of Bakersfield, the Bakersfield City’s Urban Water Management plan can be downloaded here.

For information about Bakersfield city water, the Cal Water Service Company has lots of useful information.

Rosedale residents may contact Vaughn Water Company.

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