BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) \u2014 The City of Bakersfield announced it will end its water flow in the Kern River by the end of the month.<\/p>\n
The city said a “phased reduction is underway” to transition the Kern River back to its dry conditions from wet by July 31, when the river’s water supply will be fully used.<\/p>\n
With the river flowing throughout the city since April,<\/a> officials are saying the city’s water supply is now “exhausted.”<\/p>\n “The City of Bakersfield used its available Kern River supply \u2013 beyond what is needed to meet city’s drinking water demands and contractual and environmental obligations \u2013 to keep water flowing through the Kern River channel,” the city said in a statement on Wednesday.<\/p>\n \u00a0Water will flow again in the Kern River in Bakersfield in 2026: officials\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n The Kern River’s water supplies are “variable and limited” each year, officials said, who added that “there are no additional supplies available to the city to continue the 2026 River Run.”<\/p>\n “Bakersfield’s Water Department staff are now gradually reducing the amount of water released into the Kern River,” the city said. “This phased approach helps the river gently transition from wet to dry conditions as flows come to an end.”<\/p>\n City officials said managing the Kern River and its supplies remains a top priority for both the city council and the city’s water department.<\/p>\n “The water department’s focus is to meet the community’s drinking water needs, complying with pre-existing obligations to various water districts, and increasing and maintaining flows of water in the Kern River channel when water is available to the city, while recharging surface water into city-owned facilities, including The Park at River Walk, Truxtun lakes and the Kern River channel,” the city said.<\/p>\n