The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officially lowered the risk level of Isabella Dam from “highest urgency and risk” to “low urgency” on Thursday. Though an Army Corps spokesman said this means Isabella has returned to “normal operations,” it’s unclear what exactly that will mean for downstream Kern River irrigators as we grind through summer and approach a new water year. The Army Corps would still like the lake to hit its maximum capacity of 568,000 acre feet, according to Kern River Watermaster Mark Mulkay. As of Thursday afternoon, the lake stood at 543,255 acre feet.

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