Kern River runs dry through Bakersfield, thousands of fish lie dead

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The once flowing Kern River in Bakersfield is now dry as a bone. At the Bakersfield city council meeting Wednesday night, outraged citizens expressed their grief over the current state of the river and the wildlife it supports.

City councilmembers said the ball is now in the courts of two local water districts, North Kern Storage Water District and Kern Delta.

Members told those citizens to appeal to them instead.

“I’ll be even more blunt than the city manager,” said city attorney, Ginny Gennaro. “I would encourage you to go to Kern Delta, they have public meetings and tell them about why you want water in the river.”

The city’s water allotment was used up in August, now most of the water is going to water districts, which divert it into canals east of Manor Street.

Kelly Damian, an environmental advocate with the group, Bring Back The Kern, who was at that city council meeting, said there are multiple reasons that the water has dried up.

“The real reason why the river is dry is because there are five different entities that own rights to the Kern River water and none of them let their water run through the riverbed,” said Damian.

Those districts are mostly agriculture districts, using water for crops and almond trees. The city also cut flows to do weir maintenance at The Park at Riverwalk.

Multiple dead fish lay in the sun, baking. CSUB Biology professor, Rae McNeish, said her class counted thousands of dead fish on just one part of the river.

“3,033 is the number of dead fish, which include the native Sacramento suckers, that my students and I have documented in the Kern River over the past seven days,” said McNeish.

This sparked an investigation from the Fish and Wildlife Department, saying the city has violated a state law.

CSUB professor, Antje Lauer, explained how the city violated this law.

“Fish and Game code 5937 means you have to provide enough water in the river for fish to survive,” said Lauer.

Damian is disheartened by the council’s advice.

“I just feel deeply disappointed in the unwillingness and the lack of backbone from the people who really could do something about this issue,” said Damian.

As we’ve been reporting on this story, North Kern water district and Kern Delta, for the second time has not returned our calls.

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