Kern River
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The Kern River is a river in eastern California in the United States, approximately 155 mi (249 km) long. It drains an area of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains northeast of Bakersfield. Fed by snowmelt near Mount Whitney, the river passes through scenic canyons in the mountains and is a popular destination for whitewater rafting and kayaking. It formerly emptied entirely into the Buena Vista Lake at the southern end of the Central Valley; however, now it is diverted for irrigation, recharging aquifers, and it still empties a portion into Lake Buena Vista for recreational use. In addition some of the water is diverted into the California Aqueduct.
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[edit] Description
The main branch of the river (sometimes called the North Fork) rises from several small lakes west of Mount Whitney in the high Sierra Nevada mountains in northeastern Tulare County, in the northeast corner of Sequoia National Park. It flows south through the mountains through Inyo and Sequoia national forests, passing through the Golden Trout Wilderness. At Kernville it emerges into a widening valley and enters Lake Isabella, a reservoir formed on the river by the Isabella Dam. Downstream from the dam it flows southwest, through a spectacular rugged canyon along the south edge of the Greenhorn Mountains, emerging east of Bakersfield, the largest city on the river. In its lower course downstream from Bakersfield the river is highly diverted through a series of canals to irrigate the southern Central Valley as part of the Central Valley Project.
The Kern receives the Little Kern River from the north in southern Tulare County. It receives the South Fork Kern River from the east as an arm of Lake Isabella. The Friant-Kern Canal, constructed as part of the Central Valley Project, joins the river near Bakersfield.
Formerly the river flowed an additional 20 mi (32 km) south through now-dry swamps to Arvin, then west into Lake Buena Vista. In periods of high runoff, the lake overflowed into the nearby San Joaquin River.
[edit] History
The river was named by John C. Frémont in honor of Edward M. Kern, the topographer of his third expedition through the American West. Gold was discovered along the upper river in 1853. The snowmelt that fed the river resulting in periodic torrential flooding in Bakersfield until the construction of the Isabella Dam in the 1950s. The irrigated region of the Central Valley near the river supports the cultivation of alfalfa, fruit, and cotton, as well as cattle grazing. In 1987 the United States Congress designated 151 mi (240 km) of the Kern's North (Main) Fork and South Fork as a National Wild and Scenic River.
In recent years the river has become controversial because of attempts by the City of Bakersfield to retain water in the river channel all year round for recreation and the recharging of the water tables from which it draws its drinking water supply. The attempts have resulted in conflicts with established agricultural interests in the Central Valley which depend heavily on the river as a supply of irrigation water. However, the river recently has been allowed to flow its normal dry course due to structural problems in the Isabella Dam. The increased flow reduces stress on the dam.
[edit] Recreation
The deep canyon of the river northeast of Bakersfield is a popular location for fly fishing and particularly famous for whitewater sports including: whitewater rafting, whitewater kayaking, and riverboarding. It is also well known for its danger, and is sometimes known as the "Killer Kern". A sign at the mouth of Kern Canyon warns visitors, "Danger. Stay Out. Stay Alive" and tallies the deaths since 1968; as of May 19, 2006 the count was up to 234. Bakersfield-born Merle Haggard's song Kern River recounts just such a tragedy.
The Kern is nevertheless a popular place for camping, hiking, fishing and recreational vacation.
