National Drought Mitigation Center
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National Drought Mitigation Center
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Increased river flows near Sacramento, California to aid fish, delta water standards, downstream water supplies
4/23/2014 11:48:13 AM



CATEGORIES:
Plants & Wildlife
Relief, Response & Restrictions
Water Supply & Quality
AFFECTED AREAS:
Butte County, CA
Colusa County, CA
Glenn County, CA
Sacramento County, CA
San Joaquin County, CA
Shasta County, CA
Solano County, CA
Sutter County, CA
Tehama County, CA
Yolo County, CA

Start Date: 4/23/2014 - End Date: 6/18/2014
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation began releasing even more water from Nimbus Dam to push salty water from the San Francisco Bay out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta since it provides water to 23 million Californians and 3 million acres of cultivated land. The flow was increased from 2,000 cubic feet per second to 2,500 cfs. Unusually high tides in the forecast will increase the likelihood of salinity intrusion. Keeping water with high salinity out of the Delta is urgent because it takes weeks to months to flush the salt out and return the salinity to acceptable levels. State law also requires that salinity be controlled for the benefit of water users to take water straight from the Delta. The California Department of Water Resources began releasing more water from Oroville Reservoir on the Feather River late in the week of June 9 to lower the salinity. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation increased releases from Keswick Reservoir on the Sacramento River also to bring the Delta salinity down. Sacramento Bee (Calif.), June 18, 2014 The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is boosting flows from the Folsom and Nimbus dams on the American River to help salmon and steelhead make their way down the river. At 9 p.m. on April 23, the flow will begin to increase from its present rate of 500 cubic feet per second to 1,500 cfs by 11 p.m. and will continue at that rate through early on the morning of April 25, when the flow will be reduced to 800 cfs. The flow will remain at 800 cfs until further notice to provide water for various demands, such as maintaining adequate river temperature, Delta water quality standards and downstream water supplies. Sacramento Bee (Calif.), April 22, 2014
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