Forecast-Coordinated Operations Of Lake Oroville And New Bullards Bar Reservoir For Managing Major Flood Events
Flood Management of the Yuba and Feather Rivers
The communities along the Yuba and Feather Rivers have a long history of catastrophic flooding. Since the early 1990s, this region has been partially protected by a flood control system of levees. Flood protection was increased in 1968 with the addition of upstream storage on the Feather River, and again in 1970 on the Yuba River. Despite these improvements, the current system does not provide adequate flood protection. Improved flood management and flood warning is essential for the health, safety, and economic stability of communities along Yuba and Feather Rivers.
Origin of the Forecast-Coordinated Operations Program
After a devastating flood in 1997, Yuba County Water Agency initiated studies directed toward developing a high level of flood protection for Yuba County and the surrounding communities which have about one hundred thousand residents and several billion dollars in property and infrastructure. The resulting Feasibility Study for Yuba-Feather Supplemental Flood Control Project identified six specific flood control improvement measures. One of the most cost-effective measures is the Forecast-Coordinated Operations of Lake Oroville and New Bullards Bar Reservoir (F-CO). Through enhanced communication between local, state and federal agencies, improved data gathering and exchange, and utilization of the most recent advancements to weather and river forecasting, the F-CO will help minimize the risk of exceeding river channel capacity and increase the warning times to the communities along the Yuba and Feather Rivers and downstream.