State backs environmentalists after water shutoff kills thousands of fish in Kern River

"California's waterways and ecosystems are the lifeblood of our state's rich and diverse wildlife and natural habitats. Yet, in Bakersfield, the sudden loss of Kern River flows due to the city officials' decisions to divert all water away from the river, is leaving behind a dry wasteland where fish are dying in droves."

"By mid-September, they counted more than 3,000 dead fish. The collapse of the river came as a shock in Bakersfield, where residents had grown accustomed to seeing water flowing past parks and beneath bridges after two wet winters."

Read at Los Angeles Times