The District provides agriculture water service only and is under contract with the United States Department of Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, to operate and maintain the water distribution system. The District, comprising approximately 67,000 acres of suburban and agricultural land of which approximately 51,000 acres are currently served by the District, was formed in 1935 pursuant to the Municipal Utility District Act Division 6 of the Public Utility Code of the State of California.  Its purpose is to obtain and provide a supply of water for lands located within the boundaries of the District.  The District lies entirely within Kern County (the “County”) and includes the cities of Delano and McFarland, although the District does not serve these agencies.  Total irrigated area is 51,000 acres, although this number has been decreasing in recent years as a result of urban expansion.

The District provides service to about the same number of acres today as we did 25 years ago because we have annexed land into the District which offset the losses due to state prisons and city housing projects.