Trinity Lake Releases Will Increase Substantially This Week

Water levels on the Trinity River are being substantially increased to help improve fish habitat. Each year a torrent of water is released downriver for a short time to mimic the varying conditions from before dams controlled the flow. The goal is to help anadromous fish like Salmon and Steelhead. This year the release is greater because of the particularly wet rainy season. The weekend began with a flow of 3,550 cubic feet per second. By Tuesday it’ll be 10,875 CFS. and later this week it’ll be reduced to 6,600 before being increased again to nearly 11,000. It’ll be between 1,000 and 2,000 CFS for most of May and June, then will be maintained at the summer baseflow of 450 CFS. after Jjune 21st. Visitors should take precautions and landowners should clear their floodplains.