Kern River trial date moved back eight monthsThe trial to determine whether the City of Bakersfield must re-evaluate how it operates the Kern River was bumped another eight months to October 4, 2027, at a court hearing on Monday. River rights owners appealed Pulskamp’s order stating he first needed to determine how much water was needed and then balance that need against existing uses for the water. Meanwhile, the underlying case against Bakersfield brought by Bring Back the Kern and Water Audit California in 2022 has continued. The city and other Kern River rights holders, including the Kern County Water Agency, Kern Delta Water District and the North Kern, Buena Vista and Rosedale-Rio Bravo water storage districts, have argued river operations are dictated by layers of rights, contracts and agreements going back more than 150 years. The city used some of its Kern River rights to keep water flowing through town from April through July 30 this year.