KERNVILLE, Calif. — It started out like a typical whitewater rafting trip on the North Fork of the Kern River. Boaters paddled through churning rapids, gliding past boulders and crashing through breaking waves.
But after a few miles, as they approached a dam, the group drifted to the bank and lifted their blue raft out of the water to begin an eight-hour journey on land.
Their plan: to hold an unusual protest by carrying the raft on foot for 16 miles beside a stretch of river that is rendered impassable where the dam takes much of its water and reroutes it far downstream.
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“That 16 miles of river is not runnable in a boat,” said Jonathan Yates, an avid kayaker who organized the protest. “There’s not enough water in the river.”
As the six boaters set out on the road beside Fairview Dam in late June, about three-fourths of the river’s flow was being diverted into a tunnel and coursing through pipelines that snake along the steep-sided canyon to Southern California Edison’s Kern River No. 3 hydropower plant.
Tubers enjoy the Upper Kern River on a summer evening in Kernville, Calif.
Water pours over Fairview Dam, where flows are diverted from the Kern River for hydropower.
As the diverted water spins turbines to generate electricity, the section of river between the dam and the power plant is often reduced to a shallow stream among boulders.
Yates and other whitewater enthusiasts, including some who run rafting businesses, are demanding changes in the hydroelectric plant’s operations to leave more water in the river. They are calling for measures to ensure flows for boating as Edison seeks to renew its license for the hydroelectric plant from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Jonathan Yates, seen here reflected in a display, is an avid kayaker who organized the protest.
Yates said he came up with the idea of a marathon portage to raise awareness about the lack of water in this part of the river, and invited several friends and acquaintances to join him.
“Normally you would only portage a very small section of the river around an impassable rapid, maybe a waterfall or something,” he said. “But we wanted to do it to make a point.”
The group slung straps over their shoulders to help support the raft, which weighs about 100 pounds. They said lugging the boat would make for a difficult slog, but they were prepared to sacrifice for the cause.
“We’re willing to suffer, to experience the discomfort and pain of the long portage, in order to communicate the importance of the Kern River and how much we care about it,” Yates said, “and how much we want to see the status quo change.”
The power plant just outside the town of Kernville, one of two hydropower facilities operated by Edison on the river, was built in 1921 and its current federal license expires in November 2026.
The federal commission’s decision on the new license will set rules for water diversions and determine whether there are requirements to keep larger flows in the river to support boating and fishing. If the commission sets new terms that boost flows, it could open up more of the Kern River’s popular rapids for a longer period each year, bringing a boon to boaters and whitewater rafting businesses.
Julianne Finch (left) and Kate Adamson (right) look at a map before going whitewater rafting on the upper Kern River.
Omar Ramírez gets out of a van before starting an eight-hour journey carrying a raft beside the Kern River.
Managers of Southern California Edison say they understand the importance of preserving recreational uses of the river, and are incorporating input from the community as the company goes through the relicensing process.
“Our goal is to ensure the future license terms account for the preservation of natural habitats and recreational resources,” said Jeff Monford, an Edison spokesperson, “while balancing beneficial uses, including hydroelectric generation, and complying with regulatory requirements and operational agreements.”
The Kern, fed by snowmelt in the southern Sierra Nevada, is a boating and trout-fishing mecca that attracts visitors from nearby Southern California cities as well as tourists from around the world. The part of the river that is affected by the plant’s diversions is one of various sections of the Kern that are popular for rafting and kayaking.
A group of rafters make their way down the Lower Kern River below Lake Isabella.
About a month ago, rafters and kayakers were jetting through popular rapids here with names including Black Bottom Falls, Squashed Paddler and Fender Bender. But as diversions for the power plant took a larger share of the Kern’s diminished flows in late June, as often happens, the river’s level dropped to a point that boats could no longer navigate through the rocks.
Chris Brown, co-owner of the rafting business Whitewater Voyages, looked out over a boulder-strewn part of the stream where he had rafted a month earlier.
“It’s this great rapid,” Brown said. “Most of the year, this is rendered unrunnable, and it’s just a shame because it’s absolutely world-class the whole way down.”
Rafters paddle through rapids on the Upper Kern River last month.
The North Fork of the Kern is a federally designated Wild and Scenic River. Brown said having more water in this part of the river would help the local economy and expand recreation opportunities for Southern California.
Brown provided the raft for the group’s protest and followed along in a van, while another vehicle trailed with emergency lights flashing. As cars passed, some people honked, waved or gave a thumbs-up out the window.
“These guys are doing an incredible physical feat as a demonstration of how valuable this resource is to them,” Brown said.
James Boster, a part-time river guide who helped carry the raft, said they were just passing a spot that, when there is enough water, forms one of his favorite rapids.
“It’s got this smooth, glassy tongue, this absolutely gorgeous waterfall,” Boster said. “I’m excited to be a part of this, trying to keep more of that water in its natural, intended watershed.”
Boaters carry their raft to a launch point on the Upper Kern River.
As the miles wore on and the temperature approached 100 degrees, the six raft-carriers stayed mostly upbeat, joking about their impending soreness and how it would have been nicer had the raft been filled with helium.
They played music on a speaker, listening to AC/DC, Green Day and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
“Misery loves company. We’re going to keep our spirits up,” Yates said.
The group stopped for a break and sat at a picnic table in the shade of a willow tree.
Julianne Finch, a Bakersfield financial advisor, bandaged blisters on her feet.
Omar Ramírez, also from Bakersfield, said he had been admiring river pools where a swim would be refreshing.
Several people wetted shirts in the river, then put them back on. They heaved up the raft to continue the journey.
“I’ve reached the point of, I’m just going to endure it,” Juan Vargas said as they plodded down Mountain Highway 99.
Six boaters carry their raft near Fairview Dam, setting out on a 16-mile portage to protest water diversions that often render a stretch of the Kern River unusable for whitewater rafting.
Down the river in Kernville, several residents said they also hope to see changes in the license that ensure river flows for boating and fishing.
“We’re not asking Edison to take the dam down and move away. We’re just asking to bump up the recreation flows so it benefits the community,” said Gary Ananian, founder of the nonprofit Kern River Conservancy. “It benefits the wildlife, the fish, and all the people that are using it for boating and fishing.”
Dan Ocampo, a fly-fishing guide and shop manager who also kayaks, said he hopes to see a scientific focus on improving the ecosystem’s conditions for the different types of trout that anglers flock to the area for, among them California golden trout, the state fish.
“It would be nice to have more water to fish,” Ocampo said. “I hope they implement more of a scientific approach, where it’s a balance of the water flow, the water temperature, and just figuring out the ecosystem to make it balanced and a better fishery.”
Monford said Southern California Edison is committed to working with people in the community, including anglers, and balancing the interests of all stakeholders while developing terms for the plant’s continued operation “so we can provide dependable clean energy that’s essential to the increasing demand in California.”
Dan Ocampo, shop manager and fishing guide, points to fishing locations along the Kern River on a map outside the Kern River Fly Shop in Kernville.
A map shows a stretch of the Kern River.
The Kern River No. 3 Hydroelectric Project has a generating capacity of 40.2 megawatts, enough to supply approximately 48,000 homes.
Boaters say if water diversions were significantly reduced, there could be whitewater rafting on this part of the river for up to two months longer each year.
Some boaters have suggested that the company could consider running the power plant at night and leaving water in the river during the day.
The Kern River No. 3 Hydroelectric Project stands along the Upper Kern River just north of Kernville.
Monford said, however, that the plant and its generating units were not designed for such a daily cycle, “but rather to provide a predictable and stable resource for grid reliability.” If such an approach were adopted, he said, it would “cause increased wear on the equipment, resulting in increased operations, maintenance and repair costs.”
Edison has been conducting extensive studies on boating needs and has been incorporating input from the community into its plans, Monford said.
“One of our studies revealed that boaters want better predictability in addition to a wider range of flows,” Monford said. “One way we’re addressing this is by recommending to our regulators a 10-day fixed period of maintenance outages that would take the project offline on a more predictable schedule and support boating opportunities.”
Reaching the final stretch of the portage, the group trudged past the power plant and its massive pipelines coming down the mountainside. Then they marched on toward the river’s edge, the speaker blaring AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell.”
“I may not have feet anymore,” Finch said as she limped toward the water.
Sweaty and sore, they finally set down the raft by the riverbank, and posed for photos. They cracked open beers from a cooler.
Then, several jumped in the river.
Kate Adamson, left, and Julianne Finch, center, cool off in the Kern River after carrying a raft 16 miles on land in a protest to call for leaving more water in the river.
“This was probably the most insane thing I’ve ever done. Sixteen friggin’ miles,” said Kate Adamson, a high school biology teacher. “I’m sunburned. I’m thirsty. I can’t feel anything but everything hurts at the same time. … I need an ice bath!”
Sitting on the boat trailer, Adamson said the soreness was worth it because she believes in the cause of prioritizing more water for the river.
“There’s protests like this, that show people you can be an advocate for changing your community by doing something hard, but that people are going to stop and look at,” she said. “It was neat to be a part of that.”
