The Central Valley is a flat valley that dominates the geographical center of the U.S. state of California. It is 40 to 60 miles wide and stretches approximately 450 miles (720 km) from north-northwest to south-southeast, inland from and parallel to the Pacific Ocean coast. It covers approximately 18,000 square miles (47,000 km2), about 11% of California's total land area. The valley is bounded by the Sierra Nevada to the east and the Coast Ranges to the west.
The Kern River, originally Rio de San Felipe, later La Porciuncula, is a river in the U.S. state of California, approximately 165 miles (270 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 is the only major river in the Sierra Nevada mountain range that drains in a southerly direction.
Isabella Dam is an embankment dam located in the Kern River Valley, about halfway down the Kern River course, between the towns of Kernville and Lake Isabella in Kern County, California.
Kern County Raceway Park is a 0.5-mile (0.80 km) oval speedway located on CA 43 just off Interstate 5 in Bakersfield, Kern County, California, United States. Opened in 2013, it was built as a replacement for Mesa Marin Raceway.
The Friant-Kern Canal is a 152 mi (245 km) Central Valley Project aqueduct managed by the United States Bureau of Reclamation in Central California to convey water to augment irrigation capacity in Fresno, Tulare, and Kern counties. Construction began in 1949 and the canal was completed in 1951, at a cost of $60.8 million.
Kern River Slough was the distributary of the Kern River running south from the vicinity of Bakersfield to Kern Lake near Arvin, in Kern County, California.
Kern County’s transportation system was quoted as the “unseen industry.” Located at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, the county is at a prime location to ship goods west to the central coast, south to ports in Los Angeles, and east to corridors that connect to the rest of the country. It is also on major corridors that link to all northern points.
The Bakersfield Department of Water Resources is a municipal utility in Bakersfield, California. Primarily it manages the city's water rights to the Kern River. Water is sent to water retailers that the city has contracts with, and recharge basins to seep into the groundwater table. The department also manages water distributions to most of Southwest Bakersfield and a small part of Northwest Bakersfield.
The Kern River Parkway is primarily a natural preserve in Bakersfield, California. It runs the length of the Kern River from the mouth of the Kern Canyon to Interstate 5. At 6,000 acres, it is the largest municipal park in the county. The parkway was created in 1976 when the city purchased all assets related to the Kern River from Tenneco West.
Gordon's Ferry is both a geographical location and a historic site in Bakersfield, California. It is located where China Grade Loop crosses the Kern River and meets with Alfred Harrell Highway in Northeast Bakersfield. It is named after a ferry that used to cross the river near the existing bridge. It was one of the only eastern crossings, until 1877, when the Jewett Avenue bridge was constructed farther west. It is California Historical Landmark #137.
The Bakersfield Department of Public Works is a department of city of Bakersfield, California. It is responsible for a variety of city functions including: road maintenance and construction, waste water and sewer treatment, and vehicle maintenance. It's headquartered in City Hall South.
Kern Island Canal is an irrigation canal in Kern County, California. It primarily irrigates farmland located on the Kern Lakebed, south of Bakersfield. It originates from a common diversion at Manor Street in Bakersfield, which also supplies the Carrier Canal and Eastside Canal. The common diversion originates from the Kern River about 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Gordon's Ferry.
Calloway Canal is an irrigation canal owned by the North Kern Water Storage District in Kern County, California. It originates from the Kern River, just east of Golden State Highway in Bakersfield. It terminates at reservoirs located south of Whisler Road and east of SR 99, near McFarland.
Beardsley Canal is an irrigation canal in Kern County, California. It originates at the Kern River, east of Gordon's Ferry and just west of the First Point of Measurement. It is the first diversion from the river in the San Joaquin Valley for agriculture irrigation. It terminates at reservoirs located in Famoso, just east of SR 99.
Eastside Canal is an irrigation canal in Kern County, California. It originates from a common diversion at Manor Street in Bakersfield, which also serves the Carrier Canal and Kern Island Canal. The common diversion originates from the Kern River, about 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Gordon's Ferry. The canal terminates south of Bear Mountain Boulevard, just west of Arvin.
Pioneer Canal is an irrigation canal in Kern County, California, United States. It originates from the Kern River just east of the Stockdale Highway bridge. It terminates at reservoirs just east of Interstate 5.
Hart Memorial Park is a large public park in Kern County, California. It is located just north of Bakersfield. The park is 370 acres (150 ha), and contains two lakes and three canals. It was named after County Supervisor John Hart, who spearheaded the project. Constructed between 1921 and 1936, it is the oldest section of the Kern River County Park.
Buena Vista Slough was the joint outlet of an overflowing Buena Vista Lake and a distributary of the Kern River into Tulare Lake. It is now diverted into a system of canals by the Outlet Canal of the Central Valley Project.
