Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Tanya Trujillo at Friant Dam in 2022
Dam delivers water to Fresno, Kern, Madera, and Tulare Counties in the San Joaquin Valley.

January 8, 2023 - FRESNO, Calif. - The Bureau of Reclamation has announced that releases from Friant Dam into the San Joaquin River are increasing to control the fill rate of Millerton Lake and make room for forecasted inflow. 

Beginning today, water releases from Friant Dam into the San Joaquin River will increase from about 600 cubic-feet-per-second to 1,600 cfs. Releases to the Madera Canal are expected to increase from about 200 cfs to 1,000 cfs. Friant Dam releases to the San Joaquin River are expected to further increase to at least 4,500 cfs over the next few days.

Weather conditions are forecasted to remain unsettled over the next 10 days. Changes to operations may be made with little to no advance warning. Landowners and recreationists are cautioned to be aware of stage changes that that may occur in the San Joaquin River and Millerton Lake.

Information on daily operations of Friant Dam may be found on Reclamation’s Central Valley Operation Office website. Reclamation may modify this schedule of flood releases at any time to protect public safety. Interested parties along the San Joaquin River are urged to seek the most updated information on releases and river flows.
Source: USBR