Kern River combatants sent to their respective corners – for now
Further legal action on the Kern River was put on pause Thursday morning following an order by the 5th District Court of Appeal that stayed a local injunction mandating enough water be kept in the river for fish. … The underlying lawsuit was filed in 2022 by Bring Back the Kern and several other public interest groups along with Water Audit California, against the City of Bakersfield for dewatering the river. … That 2022 lawsuit demands the city study the impacts of its river operations on recreation and the ecosystem under the Public Trust doctrine, which states all natural resources are held in trust by the state for the greatest beneficial use by the public. That was once automatically considered to be farming, industry and municipal uses. But in recent years, recreation, aesthetics and the environment have gained equal footing.