• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Complaints Flood Corps of Engineers: Too Much Kings River Water Released, Farmers Say.

Posted on: Saturday, 20 May 2006, 12:02 CDT

By Mark Grossi, The Fresno Bee, Calif.

May 20--Fresno County supervisors and farmers complained this week that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers violated its own rules by sending too much Kings River water through the county, again raising flood concerns in Firebaugh.

Riverdale farmer Ernest "Bud" Mendez said the Corps' action jeopardizes land in Fresno County while protecting farming to the south in the Tulare Lake Basin, the historic destination of Kings flows.

"There's no water in that lake bottom," Mendez said. "We're getting seepage damage all along the bypass on farm land, but cotton fields down there are dry."

Corps officials in Sacramento this week said they are protecting as many people as possible by funneling excess Kings water through Fresno County to the Pacific Ocean.

They said they see no danger at the moment. The latest figures show the river flow next to Firebaugh, a city of 7,000, has dropped considerably because farmers are using more river water for irrigation now. Excess Kings River water in April threatened the city.

Federal officials said they have the right to increase the Kings flow through the county -- even beyond long-held Corps guidelines, which they said are only targets, not law.

"We manage and control flood water for the entire system, and we don't want to see anyone get any damage," said Stu Townsley, chief of the Corps' water management section.

The Kings River has become a focal point as warm weather melts a huge snowpack and water rushes into reservoirs. The Corps orders releases of water from reservoirs throughout the state so they won't fill prematurely.

By sending excess Kings water to the Pacific, the Corps is avoiding flooding in the Tulare Lake Basin, which has no outlet to the ocean.

To get to the ocean, the Kings water must enter the San Joaquin River channel, which also carries water releases from Millerton Lake.

At Firebaugh on the county's west side, about 70% of the water in the San Joaquin channel is from the Kings.

Federal guidelines limit Kings water flow to the San Joaquin channel to 4,750 cubic feet per second -- enough water in one day to supply 20,000 people for a year. A week ago, the federal agency boosted the flow 150 cfs beyond guidelines.

The same guidelines say the Corps should send up to 3,200 cfs into Tulare Lake Basin before the flow is increased through Fresno County. The lake bed, which is farmed by the J.G. Boswell Corp., is taking a flow only a third of that size.

Attempts to reach the Boswell Corp. this week were unsuccessful.

Fresno County supervisors, concerned about possible flooding in Firebaugh, passed a resolution Tuesday urging the federal government to adhere to the 4,750 cfs limit. They fear that the additional water from the Kings eventually will cause a problem as the spring snow melt continues.

Supervisor Bob Waterston said the county could see a "mini-Katrina" hit Firebaugh.

Corps water chief Townsley said he had heard of seepage along bypass levees in Fresno County, but the water flow coming from Pine Flat Reservoir was not exceeding flood-protection levels. He said, "There is no problem, in our opinion."

Bee staff writer Kerri Ginis contributed to this story. The reporter can be reached at mgrossi@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6316.

-----

Copyright (c) 2006, The Fresno Bee, Calif.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

Source: The Fresno Bee

More News in this Category