The Bakersfield Department of Water Resources is a municipal

utility As a topic of economics, utility is used to model worth or value. Its usage has evolved significantly over time. The term was introduced initially as a measure of pleasure or happiness as part of the theory of utilitarianism by moral philosopher ...

Bakersfield Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's populat ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. Primarily it manages the city's water rights to the

Kern River The Kern River, previously Rio de San Felipe, later La Porciuncula, is an Endangered, Wild and Scenic river in the U.S. state of California, approximately long. It drains an area of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains northeast of Bakersfiel ...

. Water is sent to water retailers that the city has contracts with, and recharge basins to seep into the groundwater table. The department also manages water distributions to most of

Southwest Bakersfield Southwest Bakersfield (commonly referred to simply as The Southwest) is the southwest region of Bakersfield, California. It is roughly bounded by the Kern River to the north and Oak Street/Wible Road to the east. The other boundaries are the city ...

and a small part of

Northwest Bakersfield Northwest Bakersfield (commonly referred to simply as The Northwest) is the northwest region of Bakersfield, California. It is bounded by the Kern River/Stockdale Highway to the south and State Route 99 to the east. The other boundaries are the c ...

History

Early History

In the 1860s, residents began developing the land in Kern County for agriculture. At that time, people would take from the river the amount of water they needed. As time went on, the amount of water available to downstream owners diminished as canals were constructed upstream. When the Calloway Canal was completed in 1879, it effectively cutoff all remaining water downstream. This led to a water war between Henry Miller/Charles Lux (downstream) and James Haggin/Lloyd Tevis (upstream). Court cases were filed over the water rights, known as Lux vs Haggin. The outcome would govern the rights to the Kern River through the present day, and set the precedent for similar cases throughout Western America.The Kern River Purchase
City of Bakersfield. December 2003. Pages: 4-7. Accessed: 03-28-2011. The result of the case was a compromise. Two points of measure were established. The First Point of Measurement was just above Gordon's Ferry, today in

Northeast Bakersfield Northeast Bakersfield (commonly known as simply The Northeast) is the northeast region of Bakersfield, California. It is roughly bounded by Panorama Drive and the Kern River to the north, Alfred Harrell Highway/Comanche Drive to the east, Edison ...

. The Second Point of Measurement was near Enos Lane, which is today near

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels through the states of Califor ...

. After measuring the water flow for a set number of seasons to get an average, 1/3 of the water that passed through the first point must be allowed to pass through the second point. The rest of the water would belong to the upstream canals and upstream riparian water rights. The canals owned by Haggin would be consolidated into the Kern County Canal & Water Company (K. C. C. & W. Co.) in 1890. By 1906, Haggin's company would formally become a part of the Kern County Land Company, which Haggin was a partner. That company would continue to manage water for the agricultural interest in the area. In 1967, Kern County Land Company was purchased by Tenneco West, the first time the water rights were owned by an outside interest.

City Acquisition

Prior to the 1960s, there was no municipal water utility for the city of Bakersfield. Also, discussions over the Kern River did not include the city and primarily dealt with the farmers. Most of the water for the city at the time came from groundwater. Historically in large abundance, the city saw little reason to become involved in the discussion. By the mid-1960s, however, a problem began to develop. Groundwater wells owned by the California Water Service Company were routinely running dry and had to be deepened. The city was running a water deficit, using more water than was being replenished.The Kern River Purchase
City of Bakersfield. December 2003. Pages: 10-14. Accessed: 03-28-2011. In 1967, the city commissioned a study to determine where the water went. Among other finding: two primary reasons were discovered. First, canals which ran through the city were lined with concrete to prevent water seepage. This also reduced the replenishment of groundwater used by the city. Second, as agricultural land was developed into urban use, water that previously irrigated it was redirected to develop other farmland further from the river. Also, Tenneco West was beginning to receive offers from other companies and Southern California water districts for purchasing its rights to the Kern River. With a real concern of the southern San Joaquin Valley suffering a similar fate as the

Owens Valley Owens Valley (Numic Numic is a branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family. It includes seven languages spoken by Native American peoples traditionally living in the Great Basin, Colorado River basin, Snake River basin, and southern Great Pl ...

(agricultural land became a desert when

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) is the largest municipal utility in the United States with 8,100 megawatts of electric generating capacity (2021-2022) and delivering an average of 435 million gallons of water per day to more ...

acquired water rights to the

Owens River The Owens River is a river in eastern California in the United States, approximately long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed March 17, 2011, It drains into and through the ...

), the city moved to protect its rights. First, the city went to Tenneco West to discuss its problem. However, those discussions yielded little results. As a result, the city, and the surrounding agricultural water districts requested a court decree establishing water rights to the Kern River, and establishing groundwater rights within the city. The city also condemned the first of Kern River water and wanted payment for damages to any party that violated it. The action never made it to court because Tenneco West would settle with the city. In 1973, Tenneco West would agree to sell all its water rights to the Kern River (about 1/3 of the total water through the First Point of Measurement), real estate, and infrastructure to the city for $18 million. After the final details were worked out, the citizens approved a bond measure for the purchase in 1976. This purchase resulted in the creation of the Bakersfield Department of Water Resources. It also created the

Kern River Parkway The Kern River Parkway is primarily a natural preserve in Bakersfield, California. It runs the length of the Kern River from the mouth of the Kern Canyon to Interstate 5. At 6,000 acres, it is the largest municipal park in the county. The parkway ...

, the largest urban park in the city.

Public Ownership

Much of the infrastructure along the Kern River had fallen into a state of disrepair. Many of the weirs, used to divert water into canals were falling apart. The First Point of Measurement consisted of a cable and a small measuring device while the Second Point of Measurement washed away in the 1966 flood and never replaced. Starting in 1977, the city undertook a massive reconstruction effort. Most of the weirs, and canal floodgates were reconstructed. The First and Second Points of Measurement were also reconstructed. Also, a 2,800-acre water bank was constructed. These projects were completed by 1985.The Kern River Purchase
City of Bakersfield. December 2003. Pages: 16-17. Accessed: 03-28-2011.

Service Area

The Department of Water Resources currently has contracts to provide water to five agricultural water districts. It also provides water directly to customers in most of

and part of

References

External links

Bakersfield Department of Water Resources website
{{authority control d Water companies of the United States Water management authorities in California Public utilities of the United States 1976 establishments in California Government agencies established in 1976