Feds Cutting Folsom Lake Water Flows In Half As It Nears 'Dead Pool' Level
FOLSOM LAKE (CBS13) — Federal officials are ordering water flows out of Folsom Lake to be cut in half by the end of the week, meaning surrounding communities are once again at risk of running out of water.
The lake has long stood as one of the most troubling symbols of California's four-year drought, but with new projected outflows, it could be in deeper trouble.
Sacramento Water Forum hydrologist Lilly Allen is watching the lake drop to historic lows as the bureau of reclamation prepares to cut water flows in half to conserve more water.
"120,000 acre-feet is when everyone starts to get very, very nervous, and 90,000 acre-feet is where we reach something we call 'dead pool' in the industry," she said.
A dead pool is what Allen describes as when water levels fall below the large intake pipes that send water a half-million households, including those in the San Juan Water District who rely on the lake as their sole source of water.
The bureau is working on a temporary barge facility that would pump water back up to the valve if levels drop low enough.
"It would be later in the fall or into the winter," he said. "It all depends on precipitation, storm events come through."
The bureau considers the barge to be an insurance policy no one wants to use, but water officials say they're considering new plans to build even more barges next year.