California's Kern River and The 2023 Snow Melt

[@clairejeannette8454]

Thanks!

[@WHISTLESTOP]

Thank you Claire!

[@rodbennett1133]

$10.00.

[@willworkforfood819]

Great video thankyou

[@benmac6740]

Awesome great video and information Thank you sir

[@rodneybiltman2005]

Great info. Wow, kayaking from Bakersfield to the Bay is amazing!

[@thebrhinocerous]

Thank you for putting this together. While I know some of this, I don't know all of it. I just rode my motorcycle over the the aqueduct at Taft Highway, and I saw all of the water from the end of the Kern and wondered where it goes if it gets to be too much, and now I know. This is a great year for us nerds who find all of this type of stuff extremely interesting, and I'm grateful that folks like you put these videos together for us.

[@sandiegofun1]

This is extremely informative. Thanks much!!

[@bradsillasen1972]

Wow, the most well constructed and presented info doc I've seen. This should be the model for such. I'd prefer no background music though. Don't know why creators us that under dialog, just distracts from narration.

[@rodbennett1133]

what a waste of a preferance.

[@eventtrading]

As a 50 Year Cali transplant, I can't get enough of such informative vids such as this. Wonderful work! I have loved this place since I stepped off that plane in LA surrounded by the snow capped San Gabriels. This was a year for the record books and the melt will be most interesting. I reside just off the Gold River in Fair Oaks.

[@eventtrading]

BTW, a salute to Merle, who immortalized the mighty Kern.

[@M1ST3RHYDE]

I'm sure most of us have already absorbed most of this info. That being said, I'd gladly watch this over and over. You do such a great job on your presentation and have not failed to deliver fantastic information.

[@missingremote4388]

California needs more legislation. To assign Tulare Lake including X 120 square miles 12:50 , a natural body of water. Tulare lake for non agricultural

[@jasonmichaeljimenez]

This is a really great video, I very much enjoyed it. Thank you.

[@notbobthebuilder3109]

Great piece and well put together. The killer kern is no joke as a kern resident we dont go into that river. I couldnt imagine what it looks like right now at 7500 cfs!

[@411alcohol]

Thank you for your hard work on this report your research.

[@misspattifromcali.6955]

👍great video!! I live in Lake Isabella, right behind the damn. I can hear the work being done. Ty for this very informative content!! The footage is beautiful!!

[@WHISTLESTOP]

Thank you Patti!

[@michellewelch6013]

Great piece, I never knew the Kern River was so long!

[@williamlloyd3769]

Great explanation on the water system

[@JeffreyChitwood-ye3wy]

I remember when I was a child that the area where lake Buena Vista is flooded. It was under water both sides of Taft Hwy. My father and I would go fishing there.

[@dataender96]

Killa Kern ain’t no joke ! Nice to hear that Isabella is full. It was depressing seeing it low and polluted

[@GhostScout42]

absolute gold. thank you!

[@johnhobbs7697]

New sub here glad I found you if I remember correctly the Kern River was one of the original locations 4 golden trout thank you very much for the excellent video😊

[@robbie5138]

Is. There is no past tense you can still catch golden trout in the river along with Brown and rainbow trout along with many other fish.

[@billrimmer5596]

What I really appreciate about this vid is all the great pictures, videos and research that went into this production. Fascinating!!

[@travisbruce1775]

Growing up in Oildale I spent so much of my youth in all parts of this river and canals. I enjoyed this video.

[@maryvanryn2504]

Interesting and informative.

[@jggallow01]

Great report. Thanks!!

[@billrimmer5596]

This was a fantastic presentation.

[@Jaimelol22]

Under the 46 highway bridge their was some RVs down their

[@Ahurtado30]

Ive only gone tubing from Lake Ming to Hart Park

[@ginkodragon]

I grew up in SoCal, but didnt know most of this stuff, except that tge Kern River was dangerous. Thank you for this information! It was very interesting!

[@saylaveenadmearedead]

"Killer Kern" so tempting to swim in with temperatures reaching triple digit extremes in the summer.... don't do it!!! Pour a bucket over your head instead! The water stays cold enough for hypothermia way into the summer....

[@kayakchrispy]

I was wondering about aquifer recharge and you detailed recharging ponds and answered my query

[@BUD420MAN]

I lived in Lake Isabella in 94-95 and they had a big problem with flooding and the lake flowed over the spillway. It was still rising and was warning Bakersfield of a possible dam failure if the incoming flow didn't subside . It eventually did slow enough but I'm pretty sure that event is what spurred the new improvements on the dam and spillway. Luck for them, there was many years of low flow right after that that allowed them to drain the lake for repairs. I went back there to go camping a few years back and the lake was almost completely gone.....very little water left. And from watching another KZbin channel I found out that it didn't really start filling till this year and is now full. Crazy!!! And this years aftermath near the Kernville Inn ...near the inlet of the lake was unlike what I witnessed in 94-95 when I worked there. The water never came that close to the road when I was there and the little trailer camping area didn't flood like it did this time. I think they will be using both spillways before this is over and the farms of Tulare will be swamp land. Almost makes me miss California. Moved to Az for work in 96

[@ArleneWissmann]

Very interesting, I never realized the history and geography the kern river has. Thank you for sharing.

[@ericfielding2540]

Thanks for the tour of the Kern River on May 1, 2023 and the detailed background. I hope you can get back there when the snow melt is even higher and we can see the Isabella spillway at full flow.

[@gd515051]

Very informative and some cool footage.

[@mobis-kitchen]

This was fascinating… thank you for putting this together!

[@rodpalm6398]

Kern will be beyond class 5 all summer long.

[@luismacias9746]

The current river flood channel, A.k.a. “The slough”

[@pcatful]

Excellent presentation!

[@goldcoastgardenrailwaysoci604]

Fantastic, informative and very interesting...Great job, Mr. Anonymous and son! Looking forward to more of your videos. -kw

[@Shivaho]

I Used to Love going to Remington Hot Springs along the Kern River... Just wish there were Hot Spring East of the Rockies...

[@rodbennett1133]

and democrat hot spring in the `60s!

[@edwardsullivan5481]

The April Snow Water Equivalent report showed a 422% runoff coming from the Kern River watershed. It is inevitable that it will reach Tulare Lake. In total 2 million acre feet is forecast to enter Tulare.

[@robbie5138]

They could flood out Lake Buena Vista if they wanted too

[@edwardsullivan5481]

@@robbie5138 I don't think they have much, if any control or choices over what is about to occur. Tulare lake is expected to get 2 million acre feet more. Buena Vista may get flooded out as well due to lack of places for the water to go.

[@legrill2339]

comment from end of April: "But it’s not “flood water” and it won’t make it into Tulare Lake, said Tim Ashlock, General Manager of Buena Vista Water Storage District." We will see. I am very curious.

[@underthetornado]

Did anyone else keep falling asleep during this?... lol❤😂 they better make a 3rd emergency overflow. It's actually extremely informative...thank you for taking the time!🙏 back in the early 60s my family would camp on the Kern River for a week. The only ones strong enough to " "swim" that river was my dad and my brother in law. The rest of us only wet our toes. I was tiny but have super fond memories of camping there.

[@WHISTLESTOP]

Why do you think we have that sweet music going in the background? 😃👌

[@underthetornado]

​@@WHISTLESTOPI added a thank you.

[@theambiguoustruth8167]

Great video! Love this stuff!

[@ronaldmcdonald3965]

Very informative. I don't know the Southern end of the Sierra Nevada and drove by Lake Isabella for my first time 2021 after backpacking CottonWood Lakes. So I learned a lot from your Videol

[@DoctorSess]

Where can I view current satellite imagery?

[@eastmarvista3267]

Excellent!

[@napleswolverine7189]

I love the Kern River it brings a calmness just make sure if you’re seeing this and you wanna come up here please wear a life jacket you will save your life

[@badactor3440]

I'm going to bet that the Thicktail Chub will soon reappear, in Tulare Lake

[@76rjackson]

2:10 The depth of the snow on Mt Whitney reached 10 feet? That doesn't seem like very much..

[@tt55k]

No , it was well over 20 feet

[@tt55k]

He might have meant 10 feet of water in the total snow pack , which is huge .

[@legrill2339]

I hope you will make some update further down the road. Curious if Kern will reach Tulare.

[@peno1492]

Really great video. Well put together with great visuals and coverage of various features of the river. You did miss Gordon's Ferry 😂. The volume of water on the west side out to the end of the river at the aqueduct and in every canal, ditch, slough, water way and recharge land is incredible. Can't wait to see how things proceed with snow melt. Thanks for your effort.

[@kenharris4939]

Very interesting, having grown up in Buttonwillow, I knew some of this. I know that my grandmother had to go to Kern High School (what is Bakersfield High now) instead of Shafter High School because of all the swamp lands around Buttonwillow.

[@johnking6252]

People should be more aware of the land around them now and in the past it's a sign of civilization and intelligence. Just saying. ✌️

[@robbie5138]

Kern River starts beyond Mt Whitney and starts up near Mt Ericsson the Mt Whitney creek does flow into the Kern River but you also have the South Fork of the Kern River. The Lake is not near capacity it sits rn around 58-60%, Keysville Campground and recreation area is Closed due to water levels. Also Army Corp has been releasing 6500 CFS every day for the last month. There are 3 spillways on this lake where you have the Original spillway, the highway 155/spillway and the Weir system. The weir system sits above the roadway so it will go down both spillways before it goes over the weir. At that time the Lower Kern canyon will be shut down as it is unsafe to pass during that time.

[@scotthultin7769]

Turn off the weather modification machines and guess what them people won't have no place to live that place and fill up with water again

[@KaiAdventure]

Will it be possible again to boat from Bakersfield to the SF Bay this 2023 snowmelt season?

[@jimcrackorn]

it will

[@ericwiltz6584]

Thank you for the wonderful history class. We can stand by and observe Mother Nature take action. My guess is we'll see more than one levee fail and rebirth of several riparian areas though it will be temporary.

[@runcmt]

return the lakes to the people of Calif.

[@natevince3154]

I live in Bakersfield, and the flood risk certainly has got me worried. I was not aware of all the levees that were built, which helps a lot. Great video.

[@M.Mae.M]

By the way, the snowpack was much deeper than 10 feet, more like 30 feet!! 😂

[@b.l.8611]

Obviously, you must be an engineer? Or Hydrogeologist?

[@dougc190]

Great video. I know the last wet year we had I do remember them sending water into the old Buena Vista Lake bed cuz I was quite surprised. And I know the Kern River watermaster tries immensely hard not to let any water go into the California aqueduct. Why is that you ask we lose the rights to the water. California says too bad so sad if it goes in there

[@ericfielding2540]

If the water from the snow melt is getting too high, then it has negative value to Kern county and the aqueduct is doing the water master a favor by taking some of the water.

[@dougc190]

@@ericfielding2540 well the entities that own the rights to the Kern River water and the water master they have worked very very hard to make sure they can divert all of that water to percolation ponds and whatnot. they don't want to give any of it to California aqueduct which I don't really blame them.

[@robbie5138]

​@@dougc190 it's literally no one in the Counties choice as to what we do with the water. This lake is Federally regulated, most water from the Kern goes into the Canal system that feeds the farmers. That is what this lake is meant for they cannot deny Bakersfield water as it is their water rights. The water will flow to the Aqueduct along with flowing to lake Buena Vista and Into the other canals. No one in the California government has the power to override the Feds and their control of this lake and river flow. We have 7 different Jurisdictions and agencies just in the Kern River valley alone and only 1 has control of the water levels.

[@dougc190]

@@robbie5138when I have time to look I'll send you a link to KZbin video where the Kern river watermaster talks about if the Kern River goes into the California aqueduct they lose the right to that water. And the lake is actually for flood control, the water Rights for the Kern River have been locked down for a long time Feds only run the dam nothing else

[@dougc190]

@@robbie5138 in that video the watermaster will talk about how if water goes into the California aqueduct it becomes property of the state

[@MrMarkOlson]

Ef around with mother nature and find out.

[@ruralangwin]

We're doomed.

[@edwsal59]

Great rundown and well presented. Looks like CA has done a poor job in preparing for the canal's use even though they had months to do so.

[@stanleybennett8879]

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍✌✌✌✌✌✌✌✌✌✌✌✌✌✌✌✌✌🌍🌍🌍🌎🌎🌎🌏🌏🌏

[@samshepperrd]

18:52. This is how there sre native populations of Rainbow Trout snd their cousins, Golden Trout (CA state fish):in the upper Kern River and its tributaries. There were mo trout on the east slope of the Sierras until man introduced them. It's a shame how man alters the environment exclusively to his own benefit, usually at the expense of other life forms -:often to the point of their extinction. There will be a reconning. The linger it is delayed, the greater it's cost on humanity. I don't care. Very interesting video.

[@danielevans3932]

Life is full of unintended consequences.