27 replies to this topic

[folsom15]

I'm not an expert here...

but part of the reason I think it get's low is their term "reoperating" the dam... something about it being more for flood control than recreation....

maybe someone can bring us up to speed... we're lucky we had as much water as we did because we didn't squat for rain this last year... and the year before if you remember we got most of the rain in April and May vs the earlier spring months... and that gave us the extra we had left over for this year...

hey... next year we'll have some more water in it...

I haven't seen too many back to back drought years like this before...

Folsom isn't operated for recreation or fishing or any of the stuff we enjoy. It is for flood control, so they need to keep it from filling up completely during the wet winter, and it is a supply of water for the Central Valley Project. The CVP is a source of subsidized (by you and me) water that is sold very cheaply to corporate farms in the San Joaquin valley, not to the small "family farms" it was intended for when the CVP was conceived way back when. When we get to play on the lake, it is by our own good fortune, not by planned operations. If there is a drought this winter, we are ALL in big trouble. They do come back to back on occasion, like in the 90's and in '76/77 which was real bad. Some studies show that historically there have been droughts that lasted decades, and with global warming coming up, who knows what might happen.
I am grateful to the folks from this board that got people organized to protest the proposed closures for floodway construction on the lake. It worked! We should be able to continue to use or access points during construction. I'm still amazed that we were able to turn that ship around in mid-course!

[cw68]

Folsom isn't operated for recreation or fishing or any of the stuff we enjoy. It is for flood control, so they need to keep it from filling up completely during the wet winter, and it is a supply of water for the Central Valley Project. The CVP is a source of subsidized (by you and me) water that is sold very cheaply to corporate farms in the San Joaquin valley, not to the small "family farms" it was intended for when the CVP was conceived way back when. When we get to play on the lake, it is by our own good fortune, not by planned operations. If there is a drought this winter, we are ALL in big trouble. They do come back to back on occasion, like in the 90's and in '76/77 which was real bad. Some studies show that historically there have been droughts that lasted decades, and with global warming coming up, who knows what might happen.
I am grateful to the folks from this board that got people organized to protest the proposed closures for floodway construction on the lake. It worked! We should be able to continue to use or access points during construction. I'm still amazed that we were able to turn that ship around in mid-course!

The problem is to get people to think past themselves and look at the big picture. We're lucky to be able to use the lake for fun, but it's not its main purpose. Whenever the two can merge, that's awesome, but first and foremost a recreational lake it isn't.

[ChipShot]

and with global warming coming up

Your post was great up until this "fact"

[nlove4ever]

Well, looks like on Aug 31 the only boat launch available will be Brown's Ravine, and the whole lake is going to have a 5mph speed limit for the rest of the year. All those pretty boats and no water to run them in. Tsk.

It's not 5mph until Labor Day.....

[boarderchic]

Is there an offical article published somewhere that says it's going to be 5 mph. If so, what is the link? My friend doesn't believe me. He said it's not posted on the Folsom SRA site.

[granto]

Folsom isn't operated for recreation or fishing or any of the stuff we enjoy. It is for flood control, so they need to keep it from filling up completely during the wet winter, and it is a supply of water for the Central Valley Project. The CVP is a source of subsidized (by you and me) water that is sold very cheaply to corporate farms in the San Joaquin valley, not to the small "family farms" it was intended for when the CVP was conceived way back when. When we get to play on the lake, it is by our own good fortune, not by planned operations. If there is a drought this winter, we are ALL in big trouble. They do come back to back on occasion, like in the 90's and in '76/77 which was real bad. Some studies show that historically there have been droughts that lasted decades, and with global warming coming up, who knows what might happen.
I am grateful to the folks from this board that got people organized to protest the proposed closures for floodway construction on the lake. It worked! We should be able to continue to use or access points during construction. I'm still amazed that we were able to turn that ship around in mid-course!

Sorry, but the lake was not drained for CVP. It was drained for SALMON. The lakes in CA have been hijaked by all sorts of new priorities and fish getting cold water is one of them. Folsom was deemed "too warm" so it was drained in favor of holding more water back in Shasta, so that right about now they can release cold water cause somebody has determined that salmon need cold water.

Kinda like we were told that the spotted owl could only live in old growth forests. Then those darn owls turned on their protectors and moved into suburban areas and thrived.

I think this labor day everone ought to throw a 20lb block of ice into the American river and really freeze those fish butts off.

[tony]

Sorry, but the lake was not drained for CVP. It was drained for SALMON. The lakes in CA have been hijaked by all sorts of new priorities and fish getting cold water is one of them. Folsom was deemed "too warm" so it was drained in favor of holding more water back in Shasta, so that right about now they can release cold water cause somebody has determined that salmon need cold water.

Kinda like we were told that the spotted owl could only live in old growth forests. Then those darn owls turned on their protectors and moved into suburban areas and thrived.

I think this labor day everone ought to throw a 20lb block of ice into the American river and really freeze those fish butts off.

This presents a rather simplistic and innacurate picture of a very complex management problem. Folsom Dam providees:

• flood control
• water supply (as noted to the CVP as wellas Folsom, San Juan Water District and others)
• power generation (particulalry on hot summer days as it is operated as a "peaker" plant)
• environmental water (yes, cold water for the salmon in the American River as well as helping to maintain flows in the delta)
• recreation

And while the list is not in order of importance, the first and last items are.

But in all the grousing about the loss of recreation, I haven't heard anyone note that the 5 mph speed limit means thatfor a short time Folsom now has TWO great paddling lakes!! And with the low water comes the opportunity to explore some of the normally hidden treasures of Folsom Lake. Make some lemonade, y'all!!

[MSgt]

So how does it work for us with our porta-bote that we can unfold and launch anywhere? We can still do it right?

Yes, you can put that boat in anywhere you can carry it to. We used to have a porta-boat, it was a lot of fun.

[Darthvader]

Yes, you can put that boat in anywhere you can carry it to. We used to have a porta-boat, it was a lot of fun.

Nothin' says fun like carrying a boat out to the "lake" then having to dig your car out of the mud! Ahhh...memories....

[folsomlakefan]

Sorry, but the lake was not drained for CVP. It was drained for SALMON. The lakes in CA have been hijaked by all sorts of new priorities and fish getting cold water is one of them. Folsom was deemed "too warm" so it was drained in favor of holding more water back in Shasta, so that right about now they can release cold water cause somebody has determined that salmon need cold water.

Kinda like we were told that the spotted owl could only live in old growth forests. Then those darn owls turned on their protectors and moved into suburban areas and thrived.

I think this labor day everone ought to throw a 20lb block of ice into the American river and really freeze those fish butts off.

The lake was drained for something. It's interesting how the levels are being compared to 2004, but there are some major differences. In June 2004, the lake was at 432' and in June 2007, the lake was at 448' (16' higher this year). On Sept 5, 2004, the lake was at 401' and today the lake is at 397'. (4' lower this year). The means the lake has dropped 20' more than it did in 2004. If the lake had drained at the rate in 2004, we'd still be at 417'. The biggest difference that I can see if that the Burea plans to run the lake completely dry this year if you look at the outflows. In 2004, by Sept the outflows had dropped to less than 1800cfs. This year they are still at 2500cfs. I know the lake's priority is not recreation, but what good is it to save the river/fish/farmers this year to only cut them off dry next year if we don't get a better than average snowpack. The lake came back in 2005 (full capacity in July). Let's pray that 2008 turns out the same way for everyone who relies on the lake.

[SacKen]

Don't just compare lake levels. You need to also compare the inflow. They may be releasing the same amount this year as in 2004, but this year the snow runoff pretty much stopped by the end of June. It usually lasts much longer than that. We didn't have any big late Winter or Spring storms. The past 4 years or so, we've received huge snow dumps at the end of the season. I remember ski resorts shutting down when they still had several feet of snow. This year, that was not the case. They barely had snow the last couple of weeks of the season.

I was keeping an eye on the lake I like to go to. It was amazing to see that point around the end of June where the lake level started dropping significantly because the inflow pretty much dropped to a trickle.

[ChipShot]

How was activity, etc, on the lake on Labor day ??

[EDF]

Hey if any one is over on the north fork of the lake over there by the Granite Bay launch and the park that is across from it....look for my boat's night light pole with a "Confererate Flag" hooked onto it....

I was out there last year and this gal I was with didn't put the light post in well enough so it blew out with my flag that my buds from Georgia brought to me....

heck.. I might even take a stroll out there and see if I can find it... I can't believe how low the lake is this year... just blows me away...

Let's hope they decide to hold some back and not panic when it gets filled like in Janurary and then start a big release only to have Feb and Mar fizzle like it has in the past...cause....dang I hate it when the dam operators say, "Oops... we didn't mean to but, we were full and needed to let some out in case more rain came in Feb and March... but the rain we anticipated unfortunately didn't come"

and like us Vietnam Era Vets would hear when a screw up happened... they just say....."sorry 'bout that"....