Posts

Kern County Water Industry is Ready to Discuss Water Concerns with President Trump

/in , , /by /Bakersfield Now by Jeanette Quezada

Water is essential for survival.

It’s just as true for you and me as it is for the Ag community of Kern County, which depends on water to grow all of its crops.

According to Gene Lundquist, president of the Water Association of Kern County, we use more than two million acre-feet to grow what feeds the entire country.

“We cannot do anything here in Kern County without water,” he said.

Lundquist said most of the water we use is groundwater.

The second-largest source is the state water project water, which comes from the California aqueduct.

Full Story

Study: Absent Major Changes, New Groundwater Rules Will Cost Kern 24,000 Jobs

/in , /by /BakersfieldNow.comby Kyle Harvey

Absent major changes to farming practices and an increase in water supply, Kern County’s farming juggernaut will have to shrink considerably to meet aggressive new targets for conservation. A study commissioned by the Kern Groundwater Authority suggests tremendous job losses are a possibility as water district managers and farmers work toward compliance with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.

Full Story

Prop 3 Failed, So What’s Next For The Ailing Friant-Kern Canal?

/in , /by /BakersfieldNow.comby Kyle Harvey

Local water officials went back to the drawing board Wednesday, looking for a way to fund needed repairs to the Friant-Kern canal. The canal is damaged and requires an expensive project to repair. Farmers and water districts hoped voters would authorize the state to foot the bill by approving Proposition 3. They didn’t. The Friant-Kern is like a big water highway. It delivers water from Millerton Lake to farms all over the south valley. An Eyewitness News analysis found that the canal is directly involved in the production of approximately $2 billion of crops every year.

Full Story