Credit: CA. DWR
March 20, 2025 - FRESNO, Calif.— An appeals court on Thursday will hear arguments on Kern River water diversions, which have killed thousands of fish and drained the once flowing waterway in Bakersfield. The 5th District Court of Appeals will consider whether to uphold a preliminary injunction sought by a coalition of environmental groups to stop the city of Bakersfield and agricultural water storage districts from diversions that significantly reduce river flow.
“The Kern River ecosystem has suffered tremendously this past year with so many fish dying from the illegal diversions,” said John Buse, senior counsel at the Center for Biological Diversity. “For the Kern to flourish as a living river, it’s vital that the court affirm the state’s legal safeguards for this important public resource.”
What: Court hearing on Kern River water diversions
When: Thursday, March 20, 2025, 1:30 p.m.–3 p.m.
Where: 5th District Court of Appeals, 2424 Ventura St., Fresno, CA 93721
Who: Representatives from conservation groups will attend.
Background
The groups challenging the city for diverting water for agricultural use are Bring Back the Kern, The Kern River Parkway Foundation, Center for Biological Diversity, Kern-Kaweah Chapter Sierra Club, Water Audit California and Kern Audubon Society.
A superior court ruling in 2023 sided with environmentalists, granting an injunction that prohibited the city from diverting river flows below the volume necessary to maintain good condition for fish. But an appeals court issued a stay on the injunction, after agricultural water districts appealed.
In October state Attorney General Rob Bonta intervened in the lawsuit, siding with environmentalists in challenging the diversions. Thursday’s hearing will determine whether to restore the injunction and allow Kern River water to flow once again.
The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.7 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.
Source: Center for Biological Diversity
