Sacramento Weir Opened For First Time In More Than 10 Years

YOLO COUNTY (CBS13) – For the first time in more than a decade, the gates to the Sacramento Weir are open.

Water officials opened the weir around 4:30 a.m. Tuesday. It's all an effort to alleviate pressure on the Sacramento River levees.

"I think you can see the impacts here. The stages rise, we can have erosion," said John Ericson with the Department of Water Resources.

Water will be diverted to the Yolo Bypass.

"It's an important feature to protect Sacramento," Ericson said.

DWR used a pole to manually open seven of the gates. Seven more were expected to be opened around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday.