[env-trinity] Trinity Journal: CVP diverted less Trinity water last year

[Tom Stokely]

http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/local/article_fa36a0aa-e29a-11e6-80c6-07d7f98eb4c4.htmlCVP diverted less Trinity water last year
   
   - By AMY GITTELSOHN The Trinity Journal
 - Jan 25, 2017
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Source: Trinity River Restoration Program    
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Following two years of drawing heavily from the Trinity reservoir to meet water needs to the south, in 2016 the federal Bureau of Reclamation relied less than usual on Trinity water.The diversion of Trinity water in the 2016 water year which ended Sept. 30 was 278,900 acre-feet, the lowest it’s been since 2010.For comparison, in the dry year of 2015 the diversion was 450,500 acre-feet, and in the critically dry year of 2014 it was 618,600 acre-feet. In 2013, also a dry year, 852,200 acre-feet was diverted.“In 2014 and 2015 we drew on Trinity really heavily and that’s what pulled the reservoir down was those diversions,” said Don Bader, area manager of the Northern California Bureau of Reclamation Office. “We were just really hurting on the Sacramento side.”However, 2016 was different. It was a wet year for the Trinity River basin with 1,458,400 acre-feet of water flowing into Trinity and Lewiston lakes. Under the Trinity River Record of Decision, that triggered a relatively high release to the Trinity River. The release to the Trinity River including flows to aid fish in the Lower Klamath was 748,000 acre-feet.Since the Trinity reservoir had already been drawn down considerably in previous years, a high diversion to boot would have further depleted the reservoir.Shasta reservoir, on the other hand, was doing better in 2016, Bader said. “We didn’t have to lean on Trinity as much.”For both reservoirs, Bader said, “Things are looking much better this year, thank goodness.”As of Monday, Trinity Lake held 1,426,533 acre-feet of water, which put it at 58 percent of capacity. The amount is still not quite up to average for this time of year. It is at 84 percent of average.
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