Boaters and anglers believe Southern California Edison doesn’t leave enough water in a stretch of the Kern River above Kernville to support a healthy fish population. They want the utility to conduct a robust flow study as part of its quest to relicense its power plant. The company is conducting a “Level 1” study of “angling and aesthetic flows” on that 16-mile section of river.  Level 1 is a “desktop review of existing information including a literature review, structured interviews, and the results of aesthetics-related questions,” from other studies, according to a description by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission of the studies Edison is required to complete as part of the relicensing process. That’s not good enough for groups concerned about the health of the river. They want an intensive, “Level 3,” study including site visits and monitoring to establish a protective “minimum instream flow.”