In 2025, the Carnegie Museum of Kings County unveiled a two-part exhibition titled A History of Kings County Agriculture. The exhibition explores the past, present, and future of farming and water use in our region. The exhibit begins with the early development of irrigation and continues through today’s complex water management requirements and challenges.
When the museum team began preparing Part 2 of the exhibit, which focuses on current agricultural water issues and the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), they reached out to us with a unique opportunity. The museum sought to provide visitors with a visual understanding of the water systems that sustain our region. The goal was to develop something that could show the scope, complexity, and interconnectedness of the Kings River watershed.
The Map: A Visual Story of the Kings River Watershed
The custom map we created shows how water flows through and around Kings County, from its origins in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, through Pine Flat Reservoir, and into an intricate network of rivers, creeks, canals, sloughs, and reservoirs that support local communities and agriculture.
The map’s blue lines trace both natural and human-built waterways, illustrating how the region’s water infrastructure has evolved to serve multiple purposes such as irrigation, flood control, conservation, recreation, hydropower, and habitat protection.
While the map appears full of blue channels and storage areas, it reminds visitors that not all of these features hold water year-round. Instead, it highlights how water availability fluctuates with the seasons and with California’s shifting climate patterns that impact our ability to store and manage water effectively.
By seeing the region’s water network on a single map, we hope visitors gain a new appreciation for how interconnected and dynamic our local water systems are and how essential collaboration, stewardship, and respect for this shared resource has become.
Click on image to enlarge
A Shared Commitment to Education and Stewardship
The collaboration between KRCD and the Carnegie Museum of Kings County reflects a shared belief in the power of education to inspire understanding and stewardship. By combining technical expertise with the museum’s storytelling and preservation mission, this partnership brings to life the ongoing story of water in Kings County.
The Carnegie Museum of Kings County
Located in downtown Hanford, the Carnegie Museum of Kings County occupies one of the original Carnegie library buildings, gifted to communities across the nation in the early 20th century by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. For over fifty years, this historic building served as the Hanford Public Library. Today, it stands as a center for preserving and celebrating local history.
The museum’s mission is simple yet powerful:
“Working together to bring Kings County history to life through preservation and education.”
Its vision is to connect the community to its heritage by showcasing the people, places, and stories that have shaped Kings County for present and future generations.
The current exhibit, A History of Kings County Agriculture – Part 2, runs through December 16, 2025, and is open Friday through Sunday.
