Kernville asks residents to conserve water due to quality concerns Lack of rain and lower river levels. Copyright 2017 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Tompkins CountyNY.gov and last updated 2021-07-23 20:48:04-04 KERNVILLE, Calif. (KERO) â Residents in Kernville are being asked to conserve water due to quality concerns in the Kern River. California Water Service (Cal Water) sent out an emergency conservation notice informing residents that they are changing the source to groundwater from local wells that are then treated to meet quality standards. They say there are concerns due to a lack of rain and lower river levels caused by the drought.