News Release Archive

Reclamation Increases Flows in the Sacramento River for Flood Control Management of Shasta Reservoir

Media Contact: Pete Lucero, 916-978-5100, plucero@usbr.gov

For Release: December 13, 2010

On Tuesday, December 14, the Bureau of Reclamation will increase releases from Shasta Dam into the Sacramento River from 7,000 to 15,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) for flood control management. Although 15,000 cfs is the normal maximum summer time release, the public should be aware of the change and the increase flows will be released through the powerplant, not through the spillway.

People who reside and/or are recreating in or along the Sacramento River should take appropriate safety precautions during periods of higher river flows. Shasta Dam, located 10 miles north of Redding, California, is a regulatory dam that forms Shasta Lake. Shasta Dam's primary purposes are flood control, irrigation, fish and wildlife habitat, salinity control in the Delta, and power production.

The current storage in Shasta Lake is approximately 3,332,586 acre-feet. With a series of winter storms expected during the next 10 days, higher flows will occur in the river. Higher releases are expected as storage levels at Shasta Lake continue to encroach into the required flood control reservation storage.

Daily information on expected flows in the Sacramento River can be found on the California Data Exchange Center website at http://cdec.water.ca.gov./cgi-progs/getAll?sens_num=23 or on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers website at http://www.spk-wc.usace.army.mil/generic/rel_rep_s.html. For information on the Sacramento River, please visit Reclamation's Central Valley Operation Office website at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/cvo.

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The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.