SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Bureau of Reclamation is preparing to increase releases below Nimbus Dam into the lower American River from 1,750 cubic feet per second to 3,000 cfs for storage management in Folsom Reservoir. The increased releases are scheduled to begin Tuesday, Feb. 9, at 9 p.m. and will continue until further notice. Folsom Reservoir, located 26 miles northeast of Sacramento, provides water for people, fish and wildlife, hydropower, the environment and salinity control in the Bay-Delta.
The releases are necessary to maintain required space in Folsom Reservoir during the rain and snowmelt season. The current storage is more than 130 percent of the 15-year average for early February. Should inflows into the reservoir continue at current levels or increase, additional increases in releases may be required.
People recreating in or along the lower American River downstream of Folsom Dam to the confluence of the American and Sacramento rivers can expect river levels to increase and should take appropriate safety precautions.
Midnight Reservoir Elevation and Flows for Folsom may be found at Reclamation’s Central Valley Operations Office website at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/cvo/. Current American River conditions may be found at the Department of Water Resources’ California Data Exchange Center website at http://cdec.water.ca.gov/river/americanStages.html.
Source: Bureau of Reclamation
