ABOUT US

The District encompasses approximately 92,731 acres of land with approximately 46,130 acres developed irrigated agriculture.

The District has 121,508 acre-feet of State Water Project firm entitlement. The majority of the District’s deliveries are for agricultural purposes. A small amount of water is delivered for industrial purposes (oilfield secondary recovery systems).

The District and its landowners participate in several groundwater-banking programs in Kern County for the purpose of providing additional water supplies in years of shortage from the State Water Project.

Approximately 60 percent of the agricultural lands are currently planted in permanent crops including almonds, pistachios, and citrus. A portion of the remaining agricultural lands are planted annually in row crops.

About 90 percent of the District is uphill from and west of the California Aqueduct and as such pumping costs are a major component of the District’s costs. The water is received at an elevation of 300 feet and is pumped to as high as an elevation of 500 feet. District lands east of the California Aqueduct are served by gravity turnouts.

The District has two major pump stations serving lands west of the California Aqueduct. Station 1A has eight units with a total of 9,750 Hp. Station 1B has six units with a total of 4,125 Hp. The total energy uses is about 25 million HW-hours per year. A series of smaller booster-pumping stations serve those lands within the District, which are east of the Aqueduct.