Center for Biological Diversity: BAKERSFIELD, Calif. Conservation groups have sued the city of Bakersfield for diverting water from the Kern River and ignoring the harms such diversions do to the community and wildlife. The lawsuit, filed in Kern County Superior Court on Wednesday, seeks greater protections for the river, which is completely dry near Bakersfield because of diversions for agricultural use.
Several public interest groups sued the City of Bakersfield Nov. 30 alleging the city has been derelict in its operation of the Kern River by diverting most of its flows to agriculture and other uses leaving a dry riverbed through the heart of town.
The environmental group American Rivers lists “excessive water withdrawals” as the main threat to the lower Kern, which is dry in all but the biggest water years as it cuts through the heart of Bakersfield.