SACRAMENTO, Calif. – On Friday, November 30, 2012, beginning at 8 p.m., the Bureau of Reclamation will increase releases from Nimbus Dam into the lower American River due to the current and forecasted weather conditions. The increased releases are being made to manage local storm runoff at Lake Natoma and are expected to increase from the current 1,800 cubic-feet per second (cfs) to 5,000 cfs by 10 p.m. tonight. The river level will increase about 2 feet of elevation. Nimbus Dam, Lake Natoma, and Folsom Dam and Reservoir are located about 25 miles east of Sacramento, Calif., and are features of the Central Valley Project.

On Monday, December 3, flows will be reduced to 2,000 cfs to provide safe removal of the Nimbus Weir and Picket Structure located just downstream of the Nimbus Dam. The Nimbus Weir and Picket Structure are designed to guide fish into the Nimbus Fish Hatchery for spawning. Once the structure is removed, flows will be ramped back up to 5,000 cfs. Depending on local storm runoff conditions, flows may be further increased late Monday or Tuesday.

People recreating in or along the lower American River downstream from Folsom Dam to the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers at Discovery Park should take appropriate safety precautions due to the increased flows.

Daily information on expected flows in the American River are available on the Department of Water Resources California Data Exchange Center website at http://cdec.water.ca.gov./queryRes.html or from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ website at http://www.spk-wc.usace.army.mil/generic/rel_rep_s.html.

For additional information on the operations of the Folsom and Nimbus facilities, please visit Reclamation’s Central Valley Operation Office website at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/cvo.