The City of Bakersfield is being sued by multiple conservation groups for diverting the Kern River for its own benefit and the benefit of multiple water districts.
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.