Throughout the Sacramento Valley, reservoirs are full and the rivers and smaller streams continue to run dangerously high. The water is pressing against levees and the entire region is saturated, making communities vulnerable to future storms and associated flood risks for the next several months. Thankfully the Sacramento Valley’s brilliant bypass system is again working … Continue reading “What have we learned from the February flood threat?”

  Jacob Katz with California Trout briefed the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) this morning on salmon recovery efforts occurring in the Sacramento Valley and screened the California Trout short film on rearing salmon on winter-flooded rice fields titled “No Going Back.”   Video of Jacob’s presentation should soon be available at: … Continue reading “State Water Board Briefed on Salmon Recovery Efforts in the Sacramento Valley”

The events surrounding Oroville Dam this week have been a powerful reminder that the Sacramento Valley is a major floodplain and the water system is foremost a flood protection system, with public safety the first order of business. With nearly 200,000 people on the east side of the Sacramento Valley evacuated from their homes and … Continue reading “A Harrowing Week in the Sacramento Valley”

As we write this blog (February 9), there is a LOT of water in Northern California! The Sacramento River right above Fremont weir is flowing at 125,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) and climbing.  This equals more than 935,000 gallons per second or more than 3.366 billion gallons per hour. As a result of all … Continue reading “The Drought Paradox in California….When is a Drought not a Drought?”