Special Study on the Lower American River, California
Abstract
A Special Study was conducted by the Sacramento District, Corps of Engineers, at the request of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Mid-Pacific Region-(USBR) and the California Department of Water Resources, Central District, with an objective to accomplish the following: (1) Review and update the hydrology of the American River and determine areas of potential flooding and flood damages; (2) Review and update alternative flood control measures provided to the USBR in 1974 and 1982 and described in previous studies by USBR and DWR and (3) Reevaluate the flood control benefits of the alternative measures. The primary study area is about 23 miles of the lower American River between Nimbus Dam and the Sacramento River. Other areas considered were the American River and its tributaries upstream from Nimbus Dam, Natomas East Main Drainage (NEMD) Canal from the American River upstream to about Dry Creek, Sacramento River from the American River upstream to the Sacramento Weir, and Yolo Bypass and its immediate tributaries and distributaries. Major flood control facilities in the study area are Folsom Dam and Reservoir, located about 25 miles east of Sacramento, and a complex system of levee and channel improvements downstream along the American and Sacramento Rivers and in the Yolo Bypass. In February 1986, major storms in northern California caused record floodflows in the American River Basin. Peak outflows from Folsom Reservoir of 130,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) exceeded the objective reservoir releases of 115,000 cfs. Prior to this study, it was believed that a flow of 115,000 cfs would not be exceeded more frequently than once in 100 years on the average. Studies of Folsom Reservoir flood operation and flow-frequency relationships were conducted incorporating an additional 25 years of record (1961-1986).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1987
- Accession Number
- ADB344344
Entities
Organizations
- Sacramento District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers