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Topic: Folsom Dam

Overview April 24, 2014

Folsom Dam

Folsom Dam, located on the American River above the city of Sacramento, is part of the Central Valley Project. It includes water storage (Folsom Lake), power generation and conveyance facilities.

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Aquafornia news June 5, 2023 Fox 40 - Sacramento

California’s major reservoirs remain nearly full heading into summer

This will be the first time in several years that California will enter summer with the majority of its reservoirs at or over 90 percent of total capacity, according to data from the California Department of Water Resources. As of Saturday, Shasta, Oroville, Folsom, New Bullards Bar, San Luis, Castaic and Cachuma reservoirs are over 90 percent of their total capacity and in the case of Shasta and Oroville are less than 5 percent away from being full. Each of these reservoirs is all well over their historic averages for this time point-in-time of the year. Lake Oroville, which is the second largest reservoir in the state, has a current depth of 895 feet and is storing about 3.47 million acre-feet of water.

Related article: 

  • Sacramento Bee: There’s a mess under that dense snow that shut California passes. See heavy task ahead
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Aquafornia news May 30, 2023 CBS - Sacramento

Plan underway to raise Folsom Dam to store more water in the lake

There’s now a plan underway to store more water in [Folsom Reservoir], and that involves raising Folsom Dam. It was a Memorial Day sight not seen in years. Folsom Lake is currently at 116% of its historical average. … Now, efforts are underway to help store more of this water during wet years. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working to raise Folsom Dam by three and a half feet. The plan also requires raising eight earthen dikes that surround the lake’s perimeter. Work has already been completed on one of the dikes, and this year, construction is beginning along the western shoreline. The project’s primary goal is to increase the Sacramento region’s flood protection, but it will also allow Folsom Lake to store an extra 42,000 acre-feet of water.

Related articles: 

  • Fox 26 – Fresno: Millerton Lake can drain, fill six times over with registered snowpack, officials say
  • Marysville Appeal-Democrat: Oroville, Bullards Bar continue water releases
  • Active NorCal: Shasta Dam Sits at the Center of California’s Water Wars. So Will They Raise It?
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Aquafornia news May 19, 2023 WESTERN WATER-As Climate Change Erodes Western Snowpacks, One Watershed Tries A 'Supershed Approach' To Shield Its Water Supply ABC 10 - Sacramento

Proposed reservoir could help Folsom Lake water storage

No matter if it’s a dry year or wet year, there are continued pleas for more water storage. Now, an American River Basin study is showing how a strategically placed high Sierra reservoir might be part of the water solution. The concern to capture Sierra runoff is seeing increased interest as California experiences even bigger climate whiplash years - going from droughts to floods. The big snowpack in the Sierra this year stands out as an anomaly with climate models forecasting more rain than snow falling in the lower mountains by the end of the century. The other concern is the earlier runoff and having to store and manage reservoir water over a longer period of time through the dry summer months. To help ease that tension, a new reservoir is being considered near Alder Creek in the Sierra. 

Related articles: 

  • Western Water Rewind: As climate change erodes Western snowpacks, one watershed tries a ’supershed’ approach to sheild its water supply
  • Santa Maria Sun: Reservoir project for Cuyama vineyard falls through
  • Record Searchlight: With a fuller Lake Shasta, more water seeping from front of Shasta Dam
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Aquafornia news April 27, 2023 KCRA - Sacramento

Here’s where Northern California reservoir levels stand

Snowmelt season is well underway, and as water flows down the west slope of the Sierra, some of it is destined to end up in Northern California’s reservoirs. Here’s an update on water storage around the region. … Lake Shasta is currently at 96% of capacity. At the start of April, the reservoir was at 83% of capacity. As of Wednesday afternoon, inflow from runoff is estimated to be around 12,000 cfs. … Lake Oroville is also nearing capacity. On April 1, storage was at 82%. As of Wednesday, storage is up to 90% with 19,000 cfs of runoff inflow. Water is being released at about 15,000 cfs to maintain space in the lake.

Related articles: 

  • Patch – Petaluma: Drought Update From The City Of Petaluma - What To Know
  • ABC News: This year’s 100% water allocation in California does not mean the water crisis is over, experts say
  • Foothills Sun-Gazette: Feds top off water allocations for Central Valley Project
  • Ag Alert: Two key projects to give full water supplies to farms
  • Mercury News: Peak snowpack - PG&E measures 211 inches of snow in final Lassen Peak survey
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Tour June 21, 2023 - 7:30am - June 22, 2023 - 6:30pm Nick Gray

Headwaters Tour 2023
Field Trip - June 21-22 (optional whitewater rafting June 20)

NEARLY SOLD OUT - Click here to register!

On average, more than 60 percent of California’s developed water supply originates in the Sierra Nevada and the southern spur of the Cascade Range. Our water supply is largely dependent on the health of our Sierra forests, which are suffering from ecosystem degradation, drought, wildfires and widespread tree mortality. 

Join us as we head into the Sierra to examine water issues that happen upstream but have dramatic impacts downstream and throughout the state.

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Western Water November 21, 2019 California Water Map Gary Pitzer

Can a New Approach to Managing California Reservoirs Save Water and Still Protect Against Floods?
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: Pilot Projects Testing Viability of Using Improved Forecasting to Guide Reservoir Operations

Bullards Bar Dam spills water during 2017 atmospheric river storms.Many of California’s watersheds are notoriously flashy – swerving from below-average flows to jarring flood conditions in quick order. The state needs all the water it can get from storms, but current flood management guidelines are strict and unyielding, requiring reservoirs to dump water each winter to make space for flood flows that may not come.

However, new tools and operating methods are emerging that could lead the way to a redefined system that improves both water supply and flood protection capabilities.

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Tour June 27, 2019 - 7:30am - June 28, 2019 - 6:30pm Nick Gray Headwaters Tour Explores the Role of Forest Management in Watershed Health From Research to Application Learn About Atmospheric River Research and Forest Management on Headwaters Tour June 27-28

Headwaters Tour 2019
Field Trip - June 27-28

Sixty percent of California’s developed water supply originates high in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Our water supply is largely dependent on the health of our Sierra forests, which are suffering from ecosystem degradation, drought, wildfires and widespread tree mortality. 

  • Lorraine Flint Presentation
  • Angel Hertslet Presentation
  • Adam Jensen Presentation
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Western Water Excerpt May 15, 2017 Jenn Bowles

Enhancing California’s Water Supply: The Drive for New Storage
Spring 2017

One of the wettest years in California history that ended a record five-year drought has rejuvenated the call for new storage to be built above and below ground.

In a state that depends on large surface water reservoirs to help store water before moving it hundreds of miles to where it is used, a wet year after a long drought has some people yearning for a place to sock away some of those flood flows for when they are needed.

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Video May 27, 2014

A Climate of Change: Water Adaptation Strategies

This 25-minute documentary-style DVD, developed in partnership with the California Department of Water Resources, provides an excellent overview of climate change and how it is already affecting California. The DVD also explains what scientists anticipate in the future related to sea level rise and precipitation/runoff changes and explores the efforts that are underway to plan and adapt to climate.

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Video May 22, 2014

Shaping of the West: 100 Years of Reclamation

30-minute DVD that traces the history of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and its role in the development of the West. Includes extensive historic footage of farming and the construction of dams and other water projects, and discusses historic and modern day issues.

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Maps & Posters May 20, 2014

Water Cycle Poster

Water as a renewable resource is depicted in this 18×24 inch poster. Water is renewed again and again by the natural hydrologic cycle where water evaporates, transpires from plants, rises to form clouds, and returns to the earth as precipitation. Excellent for elementary school classroom use.

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Maps & Posters May 20, 2014

California Water Map, Spanish

Spanish language version of our California Water Map

Versión en español de nuestro mapa de agua de California

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Publication May 20, 2014

Layperson’s Guide to the Central Valley Project
Updated 2021

The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to the Central Valley Project explores the history and development of the federal Central Valley Project (CVP), California’s largest surface water delivery system. In addition to the project’s history, the guide describes the various CVP facilities, CVP operations, the benefits the CVP brought to the state and the CVP Improvement Act (CVPIA).

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Maps & Posters April 17, 2014 California Water Bundle

California Water Map
Updated December 2016

A new look for our most popular product! And it’s the perfect gift for the water wonk in your life.

Our 24×36 inch California Water Map is widely known for being the definitive poster that shows the integral role water plays in the state. On this updated version, it is easier to see California’s natural waterways and man-made reservoirs and aqueducts – including federally, state and locally funded projects – the wild and scenic rivers system, and natural lakes. The map features beautiful photos of California’s natural environment, rivers, water projects, wildlife, and urban and agricultural uses and the text focuses on key issues: water supply, water use, water projects, the Delta, wild and scenic rivers and the Colorado River.

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Water Academy

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