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A new report suggests that implementing Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations, or FIRO, at Lake Oroville and New Bullards Bar Reservoir may be a viable option to better balance the flood risk reduction needs for communities along the Yuba and Feather Rivers and the ability to store more water during drier periods.
In the largest FIRO assessment to date, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) and Yuba Water Agency (Yuba Water) partnered with the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Engineering Research and Development Center to evaluate if FIRO, which uses improved monitoring, weather, and runoff projections to build more flexibility and efficiency into reservoir operations, could be implemented at both reservoirs to reduce downstream flood risk without negatively impacting water supplies.
While the report indicates that the use of FIRO may be a feasible solution for improved water management, the approach must be evaluated as part of water control manual updates for each facility before implementation.
The USACE Sacramento District oversees the authorized flood storage space for both reservoirs and is in the process of updating the respective manuals. USACE will consider the FIRO approach and include public participation during its review of prescribed operations.
Read the full California DWR and Yuba Water press releases:
California DWR Press Release: https://water.ca.gov/News/News-Releases/2025/Mar-25/Report-Shows-Forecast-Informed-Reservoir-Operations-Can-Increase-Region-Resilience
Yuba Water Press Release: https://www.yubawater.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=298
Read the latest USACE updates on the New Bullards Bar and Oroville Dams Water Control Manual updates project: https://www.spk.usace.army.mil/Missions/Water-Control/New-Bullards-Bar-Oroville-Dams-Water-Control-Manual-Update/
| Date Taken: | 03.17.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.21.2025 14:23 |
| Story ID: | 493464 |
| Location: | SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 13 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, New report suggests FIRO could be viable at Lake Oroville and New Bullards Bar reservoir, by Kenneth Wright, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
