Rivers and creeks in Northern California and swollen with residual rain flow and runoff from a record snowpack. The water level of the Sacramento River increased Monday from 4,500 to 8,500 cubic feet per second. The Bureau of Reclamation will reduce it to 7,000 by the end of the week. Another pulse flow will be done around May 8th, and could reach 12,000 CFS, which may be at or near flood level for some areas. Lake Shasta is now less than 7 feet from the crest of Shasta Dam.
The spring pulse flow that’s swollen the banks of the Sacramento River is coordinated with the release of more than 10 Million Fall and Winter Run Chinook Salmon from Coleman Fish Hatchery on Battle Creek, and the water will be used for huge agricultural irrigation downriver. Several allied federal agencies on Monday announced pulse flow releases from Whiskeytown Dam into Clear Creek. That water is also intended to help Salmon, but in this case it will be to encourage Spring-Run Chinook to head further upstream where the water is colder and there are large holding pools and newly placed spawning gravel. People who hike, swim, fish and play along the creek will want to note the dates. On Nay 4th and 5th the releases into Clear Creek will reach 800 cubic feet per second before being reduced to 200 by May 15th. Another pulse flow will occur in mid June