A local water agency says Bakersfield is ready to handle the drought for the next three years. Improvement District #4 posted the results of a “stress test” that shows surface and stored supplies could keep up with customer demand. The agency says they are not surprised they passed because they have been banking water and working on a conservation plan for the past 20 years.

Improvement District #4 supplies the urban Bakersfield area. California has ordered all water districts to post their stress test results online for the first time this year.

Kelli Forsch