Kern Westside orchard (1550)

Throughout the Kern Westside were many orchards like this. Given that other orchards in the area were green and lush, it appears that these are being delayed due to the water problems in the area.

When I first started driving through this area 12 years ago, much of it was treeless scrub. While many farmers in the area have posted signs blaming Congress for the conditions of such orchards, considering that these areas were until recently dry scrub, the question arises of whether it was appropriate to build orchards in the area.

Update 10/22/2014: The LA Times printed an article today describing the Westlands Water District that covers this area including the inherent problems with providing water to this side of the valley, and the use of crops that demand high levels of water:
www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-westlands-20141021-story.html#page=1