The official water year designation for the Trinity River in 2018 is “Critically Dry” according to the Trinity River Restoration Program. With that, the Bureau of Reclamation announced on Monday releases from Lewiston Dam into the Trinity River would increase to a peak flow of only 1,900 cfs as part of the Trinity River Restoration Program.

Releases from Lewiston Dam began increasing on Tuesday, April 17, and will reach approximately 1,900 cubic feet per second (cfs) by Sunday, May 13, and remain at peak flow for one day. Four sub-peaks are scheduled at discharges of 1,390 cfs on Wednesday, April 18; 1,400 cfs on Sunday, April 29; 1,600 cfs on Saturday, May 5; and, 1,620 cfs on Friday, May 25. On May 26, the flow will begin gradually decreasing to a summer base-flow of 450 cfs on June 30. The total water allocation for Trinity River restoration flows in a “critically dry” water year, such as this, is 369,000 acre-feet.

People residing near the river or recreating on the river can expect river levels to increase and should take appropriate safety precautions. Landowners are advised to clear personal items from the floodplain prior to the releases. A schedule of daily flow releases is available at: www.trrp.net/restoration/flows/current. For additional information, please contact Kevin Held at 530-623-1809 or kheld@usbr.gov or visit www.trrp.net.