Posted on 04/07/2006 6:41:24 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
State water officials on Friday warned of the potential for flooding and levee breaks throughout the San Joaquin Valley as California braced for another wave of storms, with a major system predicted to slam the state by early next week.
"We are extremely worried there is a potential for levee failure in the San Joaquin system," said Jay Punia, chief of flood operations for the state Department of Water Resources. "We can't tell you where it will happen. If somebody is living behind a levee in the San Joaquin, they should be extremely cautious."
The warning comes as California's rivers are running at their capacity after more than a month of steady rain. Local and state water managers have been worried about the combination of a heavy Sierra snowpack, a water system already at its limit and another wave of storms expected to start this weekend.
National Weather Service meteorologist Elizabeth Morse said forecasters were most concerned about a storm that would start moving over the entire state as early as Tuesday, calling it "quite potent."
"What we see is a system that looks extremely moist," she said.
The San Joaquin Valley and Southern California in particular could receive a "fairly hefty" pelting, she said.
The system that began moving over parts of Northern California on Friday was the region's 20th storm in six weeks.
State and federal officials said they are releasing water from reservoirs in the Sierra foothills above the San Joaquin Valley to make room for the coming precipitation. Those releases could strain rivers and levees, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a flood watch for the San Joaquin River.
The increased flow into the rivers contributed to flooding along the swollen San Joaquin River, which overflowed its banks Friday, inundating the Fisherman's Bend mobile home park with a foot of water. About 50 residents and 24 homes were evacuated.
Voluntary evacuations were in effect for three other nearby trailer parks, said David Jones, spokesman for the Stanislaus County Office of Emergency Services.
"We don't know whether it's a levee break or the overtopping of the levee," he said. "We're still assessing the situation."
Water officials also are watching the farming community of Vernalis, on the banks of the San Joaquin River just west of Modesto. Flows there have exceeded flood stage, said Gary Bardini, chief of hydrology and flood operations with the state Department of Water Resources.
"We're going to have very high stages in this area, and its going to be high for some time," he said.
The state Department of Agriculture also has warned livestock operators about the flooding danger along the San Joaquin.
The deliberate releases into the San Joaquin River system were among the reasons for Friday's flooding of the trailer park near the town of Newman, about 20 miles west of Merced, water resources spokesman Michael Miller said. But he said without taking pressure off the upstream reservoirs, water officials risk a dam or levee break.
"It comes down to a choice of the lesser of two evils," he said.
FYI
The greedy folks at the Bureau of Reclamation waited until the last minute to release from Friant. The release was so late and so little that they actually lost control of Millerton Lake for over 9 hours on Sunday. The water was over the spill way. What was coming into the reservoir above the dam was going out the other end. The local media downplayed the incident and most locals didn't realize the gravity of the mistake.
Here's more on the reservoirs.
Flood forces evacuation of San Joaquin Valley trailer park
http://www.bakersfield.com/119/story/44943.html
The swollen San Joaquin River overflowed its banks Friday, flooding a trailer park and forcing the evacuation of about 50 residents.
The Fisherman's Bend trailer park, about 20 miles west of Merced, was filled with about a foot of water that was continuing to rise, said David Jones, spokesman for the Stanislaus County Office of Emergency Services.
Residents living in another trailer park nearby were told to prepare for a possible evacuation.
"We don't know whether it's a levee break or the overtopping of the levee," Jones said. "We're still assessing the situation."
The flooding comes as California's rivers are running at their capacity after more than a month of steady rain.
Local and state water managers have been worried about the combination of a heavy Sierra snowpack, a water system already at its limit and another wave of storms forecast to hit California Friday night.
The state Department of Water Resources said it was releasing water from its reservoirs in the foothills above the San Joaquin Valley to make room for this weekend's precipitation. Those releases could strain rivers and levees, the department said in a news release issued Friday.
"Significant releases from San Joaquin River basin reservoirs are expected to create high flows that will push rivers to near or above flood levels," the statement said.
Those additional releases were among the reasons for Friday's flooding of the trailer park, water resources spokesman Michael Miller said. Without the additional reservoir releases, he said water officials risk a dam or levee break.
"It comes down to a choice of the lesser of two evils," he said.
State water officials said they did not know of any other flooding throughout the state Friday.
We're over 40 days and 40 nights by now.
A neighbor said that he's building an ark. It might be too late.
This coming spring will be a test of character. Flood control or money. I'm betting on money and I'm betting Mother Nature will be the scapegoat
I think I hear violins....
Had he done his reasearch regarding the Friant-Kern Canal water users he wouldn't have mentioned Rove's name.
Well, I had no idea about the Friant-Kern management or how all that works.
I found your posts quite enlightening! Thanks!
just saw news at 9pm here, ...they moved about 65 folks out of the trailer park mentioned earlier, some houses have or are sliding in a few locations around the Bay Area, some farmland flooding near FResno not sure exact location, some fields and vineyards mostly, hope the FR servers know how to backstroke.
Rain in forecast on and off for awhile ,, early predictions of tuesday and a major storm, we'll see. not good
C'mon, CA, start spending money!
The up-side of all this is - the gold is moving....
This one could be serious. Around here, that's easy to judge: just turn on the local TV news. If they're NOT running the Stormwatch 06" graphic, then it's a serious storm.
When you're up to your ass in water, that probably isn't your first concern.
Always a good place to start.
Ever wonder why the VP would attend a business conference in Bakersfield?
It wasn't for the hunting, huh? (sorry--couldn't resist) ;-)
I have wondered about all of the Bakersfield political activity of late.
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
850 PM PDT FRI APR 7 2006
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SACRAMENTO WILL CONTINUE THE FLOOD
WARNING UNTIL 200 PM PDT SATURDAY AFTERNOON FOR PEOPLE IN THE
FOLLOWING COUNTY
IN CALIFORNIA
SOUTH CENTRAL STANISLAUS
A FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR A LEVEE OVER-TOPPING ALONG THE
SAN JOAQUIN RIVER NORTHEAST OF NEWMAN IN STANISLAUS COUNTY. COUNTY
OFFICIALS WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LEVEE OVERNIGHT...AND
RE-EVALUATE THE SITUATION ON SATURDAY.
RESIDENTS IN THIS AREA SHOULD OBEY ORDERS AND DIRECTIONS OF THE
LOCAL OFFICIALS.
A FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR HAS BEEN REPORTED.
DUE TO THE OVER-TOPPING...FLOODING OCCURRED ON THE WEST BANK OF THE
SAN JOAQUIN RIVER NEAR RIVER ROAD AND HILLS FERRY ROAD NORTHEAST OF
NEWMAN.
&&
JHM
NOTE THAT A FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 11 AM SATURDAY FOR POND
OVERFLOW FLOODING ALONG THE CALAVERAS RIVER IN WESTERN CALAVERAS AND
EASTERN SAN JOAQUIN COUNTIES.
A FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES THROUGH NEXT FRIDAY FOR POSSIBLE LEVEE
BREAKS IN THE UPPER SAN JOAQUIN RIVER SYSTEM IN SAN JOAQUIN AND
STANISLAUS COUNTIES.
The CSUB Business Conference is world renown....
Where water flows,
Produce Grows...(or cash grows)
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