Friant-Kern Canal

E61908

The Friant-Kern Canal is a major irrigation and water conveyance canal in California’s San Joaquin Valley that delivers diverted San Joaquin River water to farms and communities across the southern Central Valley.


Statements (48)
Predicate Object
instanceOf irrigation canal
water conveyance canal
affectedBy groundwater overdraft in San Joaquin Valley
land subsidence
associatedWith Friant Water Authority
connectsTo Madera Canal via Friant Dam system
constructionStartDate 1940s
country United States
divertsWaterFrom San Joaquin River NERFINISHED
endPoint Kern River channel vicinity
near Bakersfield, California
hasEnvironmentalImpact alters natural flow regime of San Joaquin River
hasFunction conveys stored water from Millerton Lake
reduces direct irrigation diversions from San Joaquin River mainstem
hasInfrastructureType gravity-flow canal
lined canal
length approximately 152 miles
locatedIn California
San Joaquin Valley
San Joaquin Valley hydrologic region
San Joaquin Valley, California
southern Central Valley
managedInPartBy Friant Water Authority
managingAgency U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
nearbyCity Bakersfield, California
Fresno, California
Visalia, California
openingDate early 1950s
operator U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
partOf Central Valley Project
Friant Division of the Central Valley Project
purpose industrial water supply
irrigation water delivery
municipal water supply
regionServed Fresno County NERFINISHED
Kern County NERFINISHED
Tulare County NERFINISHED
southern San Joaquin Valley
servesUse agricultural irrigation
municipal and industrial use
startPoint Friant Dam
near Friant, California
suppliesWaterTo communities in southern Central Valley
farms in southern San Joaquin Valley
underwent capacity restoration projects
waterProject Central Valley Project, Friant Division
waterSource Millerton Lake NERFINISHED
San Joaquin River NERFINISHED


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