California Water News Daily Your Source For Water News in California
The Bureau of Reclamation announced this year’s restoration flow schedule for the Trinity River will begin on April 16.
Due to lack of precipitation and snowpack in the Trinity Mountains this winter, the flow schedule for 2021 is scaled to a critically dry water year. Critically dry is one of five designations used by the Trinity River Restoration Program to decide how much reservoir water will be released to improve habitat for anadromous fish like salmon and steelhead.
2021 marks the third critically dry year in the last five years for the Trinity watershed. The planned release schedule attempts to maximize benefits to the physical and biological character of the Trinity River, given the constraints of the limited amount of water available.
Flow release schedule is as follows:
- April 16-17, increase daily average flow from 300 cubic feet per second to 1,300 cfs
- April 21, decrease flows to 500 cfs
- April 23, increase flows to 1,500 cfs
- April 28, increase flows to peak release of 3,550 cfs
- May 6, increase flows to 1,950 cfs
- May 28, increase flows to 1,600 cfs
- Summer baseflow of 450 cfs to begin on June 18 through September 30
Visitors near or on the river can expect river levels to increase during the flow releases and should take appropriate safety precautions. Landowners are advised to clear personal items from the floodplain prior to the releases.
For additional information, visit https://www.trrp.net/ or contact the office at 530-623-1800 (TTY 800-877-8339) [email protected].
