BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- It is a water fight that could take a new turn next week as the city of Bakersfield is fighting to re-fill the Kern River.

It's been several years since the river flowed through the heart of town, but a state board is poised to possibly change that next week.

The State Board of Water Resources will hear arguments and make a decision on whether the Kern River is fully appropriated next week.

A draft decision indicates the board believes there is some water up for grabs and the city wants it for the river.

And while everyone would like to see the river at full steam, it's not that simple.

"Certainly everyone in Bakersfield wants to see more water in the river," said Jim Beck, general manager for the Kern County Water Agency.

"When we do have enough water we do try to put it in the river as much as possible," said John Stinson, interim director of Water Resources for the city of Bakersfield.

It has been years since water flowed by Beach Park and with a key decision by the State Water Resources Board next week, the debate flowed into the opinion sections of this weekend's Bakersfield Californian, arguments both for the river water and why the situation remains so fluid and so complicated.

The Californian is even offering a petition in its lobby for folks to sign and submit. The deadline is Today.

There is a very complicated set of circumstances as to why there isn't a river running through Bakersfield these days, and it includes the state drought, water pumping issues at the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the Water Board's oversight and money.

"The city of Bakersfield does have the opportunity to put water in the river," said Beck. "It's all about money. I know its tough economic times, but that's what this issue boils down to."

The city uses canals to move its water as opposed to the river because there are contractual issues and it would cost, according to Beck, about a million dollars to pump it back out of the river.

"It costs more to pump out than to run it down to begin with," Stinson said. "And we try to do our operations as economically as we can."

So, the city has put in a claim on what its hoping the resources board will determine is unappropriated water, so that the river would be full instead of empty like it is now. But even if that ruling comes down, Stinson says it could take 10 to 15 years for that to happen.

"It's hard to gauge, but it's not the sort of thing that's going to happen next week," he said.

The Kern County Water Agency won't discuss the resources board issue due to possible litigation, but it's clear the agency would prefer things remain the same when it comes to where that water is going.

"Water in the river isn't free, it's going to cost somebody something," Beck said.

But the water agency does want the river to flow again and has on occasion released excess water supplies into the river. Part of the problem is the statewide water issues we continue to have.

But the agency has put in a claim, like the city and others, for that excess river water -- an issue, nowhere near being completed.