What did the Army Corps of Engineers’ letter say about the California reservoir water release?
The Washington Post reported that the Army Corps of Engineers knew that President Trump’s order in late January to release San Joaquin Valley reservoir water wouldn’t reach Southern California as he promised.
The President had said the water release would help prevent more Southern California wildfires, but local water experts say that was “virtually impossible.”
Around 2.2 billion gallons of reservoir water from Terminus Dam at Lake Kaweah and Schafer Dam at Lake Success in Tulare County were sent into the San Joaquin Valley. That water is stored mainly to irrigate crops during the spring and summer growing seasons.
The decision to dump the reservoir water drew concern from agricultural interests across the San Joaquin Valley.
“A decision to take summer water from local farmers and dump it out of these reservoirs shows a complete lack of understanding of how the system works and sets a very dangerous precedent,” said Dan Vink, a longtime Tulare County water manager, in February.
Congressman Jim Costa (D-Fresno), representing parts of Tulare County, and Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) both wrote critical letters about the reservoir water release.
“An unscheduled release of water at this time of year, when there is little demand for irrigation water and a snowpack that is below average, poses grave threats to a reliable water supply this year,” Costa wrote. “This could increase the cost of water for farmers for this crop year exponentially due to dry conditions anticipated.”
Here’s what to know about the release of water from Kaweah and Success lakes in the San Joaquin Valley.
The Washington Post reported that in a memo sent four days after the late January release of reservoir water, the Commander of the Army Corps’ Sacramento district wrote officials knew before the dump water from Lake Kaweah and Success Lake “could not be delivered to Southern California directly. “
Nonetheless, the release was done to satisfy Trump’s executive order.
San Joaquin Valley water managers told SJV Water, a website that extensively covers Central California water issues, that physical and legal barriers make it virtually impossible to use Tulare County river water for southern California wildfire abatement.
The Army Corps of Engineers runs the Lake Kaweah and Success Lake reservoirs but typically coordinates reservoir water releases with the myriad of San Joaquin Valley irrigation districts.
What’s the history of Lake Kaweah and Success Lake?
Lake Success was formed when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed and opened Success Dam on the Tule River in Tulare County in 1961. The following year, Lake Kaweah opened after the Terminus Dam was built on the Kaweah River in Tulare County. Both projects help reduce flood damage and conserve water for farmland irrigation.
Tulare County is one of the nation’s and state’s most productive agricultural regions, with the largest citrus crop in the country. In addition, the county has large grape, pistachio, and almond crops.
WRITTEN BY: James Ward, Palm Springs Desert Sun
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: https://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/story/news/local/california/2025/03/08/army-corps-knew-trumps-california-water-release-order-was-a-waste/82055516007/