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Folsom Dam to Start Releasing Water After Recent Rain, Snowfall

/in , , /by /KCRAby Mark Finan

After more than a year of well-below average water levels at Folsom Lake, the Bureau of Reclamation will start making releases from that reservoir early Tuesday morning.

The releases are necessary because the water level is now near the maximum allowed at this time of year for flood protection. Inflows in the last few weeks have driven the lake up to a near 425 feet, which is as high as the Bureau of Reclamation would like to have it at this time of year.

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City of Folsom Requiring People to Cut Water Use by 20% as Drought Worsens

/in , , /by /KCRA3

The City of Folsom announced Monday it will require residents to reduce water use by 20%. The water-use restriction will go into effect Aug. 30.

This comes as the water supply across the state continues to dwindle amid a crippling drought. Folsom itself draws water from the American River at Folsom Lake, which has lower levels than it did during the 2014-15 drought. This is the second driest year on record since 1977.

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Roseville Drought Declaration Establishes Watering Days, Enforcement Measures

/in , , /by /Gold Country Media

Beginning this past Monday, Roseville residents are required to reduce water use by 20 percent.

The mandatory conservation requirement builds upon the 10-percent voluntary water use reduction announced in May and recognizes that the water supply outlook is stressed at Folsom Lake and throughout California.

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Roseville to Take 1.2 Billion Gallons From Wells to Supply Residents With Water

/in , , /by /Fox40by Connor Malone, Bridgette Bjorlo

The city of Roseville plans to take 1.2 billion gallons from its wells to supply about 53,000 households with running water this summer.

State reservoirs have receded to their lowest point in years. To prepare for dry seasons, Roseville has invested in new technology to boost its groundwater supply by ingesting water from previous snowmelt and rainy seasons into underground wells so when water is most needed, the city isn’t entirely reliant on Folsom Lake.

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Federal Government Slashes Water Deliveries to Farms, Cities as California Drought Worsens

/in , , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler

California’s water supply got cut again Wednesday, with the federal government reducing allocations to cities and farms as the drought intensified.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced that municipal water agencies that rely on the Central Valley Project will have this year’s allocations slashed from 55% down to 25% — a level not seen since the drought of 2015.

That could put additional pressure on the municipalities around greater Sacramento that depend on supplies from Folsom Lake, whose water levels have sunk dramatically this spring. The reservoir is at 46% of its usual capacity for late May.

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Sierra Snow Survey Canceled Due to Impacts of Dry Weather, Water Supply Also at Risk

/in , , /by /KCRA (Sacramento)by Emily Maher

There is dry dirt where water should be at Folsom Lake. A lack of wet weather is taking a toll on the state’s water supply.

Chris Orrock is a spokesperson for the California Department of Water Resources. He said while drought-like conditions are very common for the state, this year is worse than normal, especially considering back-to-back dry winters with little snow and rain.

“In fact, this year is a critically dry year,” Orrock said.

It is so dry, in fact, that DWR canceled Thursday’s snow survey at Phillips Station because there was not enough snow on the ground. Orrock said much of the lower elevation snow is already gone and some of the higher elevation snow is beginning to melt as well.

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Water Levels Low at Folsom Lake as California Faces Threat of Drought

/in , , /by /KCRA (Sacramento)by Emily Maher

Sunday marked the hottest day of the year, so far. Many people made their way to Folsom Lake to enjoy the weather to find lake levels low as the state faces the threat of a drought. After two dry years in a row with little rain and snow, drought is a concern. Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom said he has executive orders drafted, if needed.

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Folsom Lake Water Level Below Average

/in , /by /KCRA Sacramentoby Brian Hickey

California water managers are pinning their hopes on the month of March to turn around a below-average water year. Many California reservoirs are still well below average as we start, what typically is, the last big wet month of the season. Folsom Lake has 345,609 acre feet of water between its shores — just 64% of where it should be for this time of year and just over a third of the lake’s capacity.

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Sacramento Region Plans to Store Water Underground as a Climate Change Adaptation Strategy

/in , , /by /CapRadioby Ezra David Romero

The Sacramento region is preparing for the long term impacts of the climate crisis when it comes to water supply. Central to the plan is a groundwater storage program with two to three times the space of Folsom Lake.

As the climate warms it’ll likely become harder to fill up reservoirs, because the snowpack could be small for multiple years. Think of the nearly empty reservoirs across California during the most recent drought.

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Folsom Dam is Being Raised. What That Means for Droughts, Boating and Your Flood Insurance

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Tony Bizjak

Folsom Dam has long quietly served as a backstop for Sacramento, offering critical flood protection to one of the most at-risk metropolitan areas in the country. But a few scary winter storms in the 1980s and 1990s proved that the dam and the region’s extensive system of river levees weren’t as fail-safe as thought.

That’s prompted several billion dollars of flood control work since then.

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