To improve Bakersfield’s image and quality of life, a group of residents is working to restore water to the city’s long‑dry Kern River, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Led by the nonprofit Bring Back the Kern, the project would return a flowing river to the heart of California’s ninth‑largest city. Long‑time resident Bill Cooper says Bakersfield still fights the label of a “crappy town.”

The Kern River starts in the southern Sierra Nevada but usually runs dry by the time it reaches Bakersfield because most of its flow is diverted for farms and municipal use. What remains is a dry, weed‑lined channel winding through downtown—far from the green public space supporters envision.

Agricultural Interests Warn of Potential Impact

Agricultural interests warn that leaving more water in the river would hurt crops and jobs. Third‑generation grower Edwin Camp argues, “To just say ag is using all the water and we need to change that, you’re ignoring decades of history.”

Bring Back the Kern and several environmental groups contend in court that draining the river violates California’s public‑trust doctrine. The case is scheduled for trial this December, and water agencies statewide are watching closely.

Optimism Persists Despite Legal Setbacks

Although a recent appeals‑court ruling overturned an order that briefly kept water flowing, organizer Kelly Damian remains optimistic: “When you have, at the literal center of your community, this devastated, dried‑out empty space, that really sends a message of what you’re worth. And we’re worth a lot more than that.”

The outcome could reshape water policy far beyond Bakersfield.

Read more at San Francisco Chronicle