TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

Most of the time, us little people don't seem to count for much.

Except maybe when you count up how many of us there are. Together we look a little more intimidating, a little less, well little.

That was what Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water Storage District had in mind Tuesday night when they invited landowners in the district to a second mass meeting for an update on ongoing groundwater problems in northwest Bakersfield. They held a similar meeting last May.

The groundwater update was simple: water is still being sucked away by a couple of massive groundwater banking operations along the southern edge of the district.

Even though those banking projects -- Kern Water Bank and Kern County Water Agency's Pioneer Project -- have ceased pumping for now, the depressions they created earlier are still draining groundwater out from under Rosedale homes and farms, even as the district has brought in more water to recharge the aquifer.

Wells continue to go dry one after another.

Rosedale-Rio Bravo has now filed three lawsuits against the banks.

Tuesday night, the district began actively recruiting the "little" people to join the legal battle to show just how damaging the banks' actions have been.

Ana Lopez was looking forward to the meeting, if for no other reason than to vent about what her family has endured since their community well went belly up last Christmas.

"I'm doing OK, just having little nervous breakdowns here and there," she said Tuesday afternoon.

She and her husband and their four young children have been the only family to stay in their neighborhood since the well dried up.

The constant struggle has caused Ana severe anxiety, sending her to the hospital several times. Everyday chores have become epic challenges as she tries to keep her home and children well cared for.

"The big excitement right now is we have three extra jugs of water," she said.

Their plan is to try and save enough money to get hooked up to Vaughn Water Company, which will cost about $10,000.

Ana's husband, Paul, has a good job, she said. But keeping up with bills for the family and saving at the same time is tough. They've managed to put $3,000 aside so far.

Their frustration and worry has trickled down to the children.

For an assignment to share a newspaper article with his class, her 8-year-old son brought in a story about his family's lack of water.

"As he read it to the class, he started crying, and the teacher started crying, it was very emotional," Ana said. "I asked him why it upset him so much and he said because he sees how his father and I are struggling and he feels bad that he can't help."

A bit further west of the Lopezes, the tiny Goose Lake water company serving 32 homes went dry in late July. They were lucky. The well was deep enough to sink more tubing, so homes weren't dry for long, according to Goose Lake vice president Gaylord Beeson.

Rosedale-Rio Bravo General Manager Eric Averett told me not a week goes by that he doesn't hear from two or three new landowners whose wells have bottomed out or are concerned about it happening.

Considering groundwater levels have dropped more than 100 feet in the last three years (up to 140 feet in some areas, according to Rosedale-Rio Bravo), Beeson and others are right to worry.

Beeson said he already signed on to Rosedale-Rio Bravo's legal action.

He blamed Paramount Farms and more specifically its billionaire owner Stewart Resnick who controls a large chunk of the bank through his ownership of property in two of the bank's member districts, Dudley Ridge Water District and Westside Mutual Water Co.

"He's a powerful man," Beeson said. "We may be squeaking some, but he could just stomp us."

Why go to the meeting and sign on to the legal action, then?

"I'm Irish! I'm always up for a fight!" Beeson said.

They'll need a lot more Irish for this one. But I have faith in us little people.

Opinions expressed in this column are those of Lois Henry, not The Bakersfield Californian. Her column appears Wednesdays and Sundays. Comment at http://www.bakersfield.com, call her at 395-7373 or e-mail lhenry@bakersfield.com