The Kern River

Approximately 165 miles long, the Kern River is the most southern of the rivers in the San Joaquin Valley. The head waters of the Kern are located near the base of Mount Whitney and the river’s main fork joins its major tributary, the South Fork, near Isabella Reservoir. From Isabella Reservoir to just before Bakersfield, the river drops over 2,000 feet in elevation through the Kern River Canyon. It is the only major river in the Sierra Nevada mountain range that drains in a southerly direction.

Before the late 19th century, the Kern River emptied in to the Kern and Buena Vista Lakes at the southern end of Kern County, then drained in to Tulare Lake via Buena Vista Slough. In flood years, the river would actually flow in to the San Joaquin River.

Since the late 19th century the Kern has been primarily diverted for irrigation and recharging aquifers. Some water from the Kern is delivered to Lake Webb and Lake Evans, two small lakes within the former Buena Vista Lakebed. The lakes were created in 1973 for recreational use, holding 6,800 acre-feet of water combined.[7] Crops are grown in the rest of the former lakebed. In extremely wet years, the river will reach the Tulare Lake basin through a series of sloughs and flood channels.

For more about the Kern River:

Kern River Purchase Booklet

Kern River Water Districts in Kern County

Water Fact

January 2015 was one of the driest months on record in California.

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