Q: My question is, why does the city spend the time, manpower and money to plow the Kern River bed? It looks better, but is it necessary?
— W.L. Henry
A: According to city of Bakersfield Water Resources Manager Florn Core, the river’s ability to carry flood waters depends on the city’s annual maintenance work.
The city does the work, “to maintain the relatively flat grade of the river and to remove any vegetation in the flood way. It’s to maintain the flood-carrying capacity of the river,” Core said.
City officials get a permit from the Central Valley Flood Protection Board to do the grading and the vegetation removal.
posted by
catpaw
on Jun 17, 2008 at 08:30 AM
