Rivers Archives - SJV Water

Group files motion to compel city to comply with order for more water in Kern River

April 16, 2024

• by SJV Water

Frustrated with the amount of water dribbling down the western reach of the Kern River, plaintiffs in an ongoing lawsuit over the river filed a motion Tuesday asking the judge in the case to intervene. The motion says the City of Bakersfield has not maintained flows required to keep fish in good condition, particularly in…

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Judge orders Bakersfield to keep water in the Kern River

October 30, 2023

• by Lois Henry

In what one attorney called a “moment of truth” for the City of Bakersfield, a judge ordered the city to keep enough water in the normally dry Kern River to protect fish populations. The 21-page preliminary injunction was issued by Kern County Superior Court Judge Gregory Pulskamp Monday afternoon. Colin Pearce, who represents the city…

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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…

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Court to consider cutting water diversions out of Kern River

October 3, 2023

• by Lois Henry

A preliminary injunction that could cut water being taken out of the Kern River if those diversions are harmful to fish will be taken up Friday, October 13 in a Kern County courtroom. The request for the injunction was filed in August by a group of entities suing the City of Bakersfield for what it…

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Kern River: “Best kept secret” demystified through technology

September 22, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

There’s a new way to explore the Kern River and it can all be done from the comfort of your own home. The nonprofit Kern River Parkway Foundation has sponsored a visual mapping of the Kern River. Volunteers set out along the river on the parkway’s bike path and down some of the river in…

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Tübatulabal tribe celebrates homecoming with return of a slice of its ancestral lands

September 16, 2023

• by Lois Henry

Tribal members celebrated the return of more than 1,200 acres of their ancestral lands in the jagged hills above Weldon on Saturday in a ceremony marked with gratitude, emotion and prayer. Chairman Robert Gomez opened the event by thanking a large number of people who helped find, purchase and deed the land back to the…

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Will a pending water rights bill on Gov. Newsom’s desk be a game changer in California water? It depends

September 15, 2023

• by Jesse Vad, SJV Water

A water rights bill that made it through the Legislature this year is, arguably, a much weakened version of its original form, but the fact that it addresses senior rights at all is a significant step, according to experts. Senate Bill 389, which clarifies the state Water Resources Control Board’s ability to investigate senior water…

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Ancestral lands back in the hands of Kern River Valley tribe that had lived there for thousands of years

September 7, 2023

• by Lois Henry

A Kern River Valley Native American tribe that has lived along the branches of the north and south forks of the Kern River for millennia, has ownership of a piece of its ancient homeland for the first time since it was grabbed up by settlers back in the 1800s. The Tübatulabal Tribe got the deed…

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Kern River to get a new Watermaster, but one with a familiar name

August 24, 2023

• by Lois Henry

Art Chianello will step in as the new Kern River Watermaster at the start of the new water year, which is Oct. 1. Chianello, who retired as head of the City of Bakersfield’s Water Resources Department in Sept. 2022, is extremely famliar with the inner workings of the Kern River as a large chunk is…

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Two Kern River power plants up for new licenses – and greater scrutiny

August 3, 2023

• by Lois Henry

Boaters and anglers who’ve long complained about the impacts of two power plants on Kern River flows, want federal regulators to give more water back to the river as part of separate relicensing procedures now underway. “Our main issue is continual flows,” said Jim Ahrens, president of the Kern Fly Fishers club. “To have a…

NEWS

Group files motion to compel city to comply with order for more water in Kern River

Judge orders Bakersfield to keep water in the Kern River

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

Court to consider cutting water diversions out of Kern River

Kern River: “Best kept secret” demystified through technology

Tübatulabal tribe celebrates homecoming with return of a slice of its ancestral lands

Will a pending water rights bill on Gov. Newsom’s desk be a game changer in California water? It depends

Ancestral lands back in the hands of Kern River Valley tribe that had lived there for thousands of years

Kern River to get a new Watermaster, but one with a familiar name

Two Kern River power plants up for new licenses – and greater scrutiny

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