Skip to content
Help support CapRadio’s local public service mission 
and enrich the lives in your community.
Support local nonprofit public media.
Donate Now

View thank you gift options

CapRadio

CapRadio

listen live donate
listen live donate
listen live
donate
  • News
    • News

    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
    News
    • News

    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
  • Music
    • Music

    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic

    • Daily Playlist
    Music
    • Music

    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic

    • Daily Playlist
  • Podcasts & Shows
  • Schedules
  • Events
  • Support
    • Support
    • Ways to support
    • Evergreen Donation
    • One-Time Donation
    • Corporate Sponsorship
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Giving
    • Legacy Giving
    • Endowment Support
    • Members
    • Member Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • Member Newsletter

    • Fund drives
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
    Support
    • Support
    • Ways to support
    • Evergreen Donation
    • One-Time Donation
    • Corporate Sponsorship
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Giving
    • Legacy Giving
    • Endowment Support
    • Members
    • Member Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • Member Newsletter

    • Fund drives
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About
  • Close Menu
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
  • Environment
  •  

Folsom Dam Is Getting Taller In Effort To Lower Flood Risk In Sacramento

  •  Bob Moffitt 
Tuesday, January 21, 2020 | Sacramento, CA
Rich Pedroncelli / AP Photo

Water flows from five of the eight flood gates at Folsom Dam Friday, March 18, 2016, in Folsom, Calif.

Rich Pedroncelli / AP Photo

When a new $373 million project by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Folsom Lake is finished, Folsom  Dam will be three-and-a-half feet taller — and flood risk in Sacramento will hopefully be lower. 

At the ceremonial groundbreaking near the Folsom Point Boat Ramp on Tuesday, Congresswoman Doris Matsui said the cost is worth it to offer residents 300 year flood protection, even though the wettest winter on record, in 2017, passed without any major stresses to the dam.

"We didn't think we even needed 100 year or 200 year [protection], but, you know, climates change. There is a climate crisis now,” Matsui said.

She added that local, state and federal agencies have been preparing for decades to get to this point. “At least we've been working on it for some time, not realizing probably the importance of what we were doing,” Matsui said.

Of the $373 million price tag, $218 million comes from federal funding.

The project will add equal increases in height to eight dikes around the lake, which will create 43,000 acre feet of new water storage. Backers of the project say the extra height and storage give the facility 300-year flood protection.

The construction of automated temperature shutters at the main dam, which is currently 480 feet high, will give workers more control over water in the lake.

“At the right times of year, fish need colder water. We can be able to hold cold water when we need it and save it when we don't,” said Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman.

The new project follows the $900 million construction of the new spillway, which was finished in 2017, and the creation of a new set of rules for lake management.

“In the past, we went strictly off water-control manuals that said, ‘You know, at this point in time, based on conditions, we need to release water or hold water,” said Col. James Handura of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The new rules allow managers to rely on weather forecasts and available data “ based on the actual climatology,” he added.

The project also includes habitat restoration at two sites on the lower American River. 

All of the work should be completed by 2025. 


Follow us for more stories like this

CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you.  As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.

Donate Today  

    Related Stories

  • Ezra David Romero / CapRadio

    Could Sacramento Flood Like New Orleans? It's Possible, But Water Managers Are Trying To Make It Less Likely.

    Tuesday, January 21, 2020
    Two rivers cut through the Sacramento region and that means the risk of flooding is often on people’s minds. As part of CapRadio’s Great Question! series, one listener wondered about the probability of a major flood in the Sacramento region.

Bob Moffitt

Former Sacramento Region Reporter

Bob reported on all things northern California and Nevada. His coverage of police technology, local athletes, and the environment has won a regional Associated Press and several Edward R. Murrow awards.  Read Full Bio 

Sign up for ReCap and never miss the top stories

Delivered to your inbox every Friday.

 

Check out a sample ReCap newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

Thank you for signing up for the ReCap newsletter! We'll send you an email each Friday with the top stories from CapRadio.

Browse all newsletters

More Environment Stories

Robert F. Bukaty/AP

The Maine lobster industry sues California aquarium over a do-not-eat listing

March 18, 2023

Mario Tama/Getty Images

Climate is changing too quickly for the Sierra Nevada's 'zombie forests'

March 18, 2023

AP Photo/Jeff Chiu

Rain, snow and wind are returning to Northern California. In Sacramento, impacts expected to be milder than recent storms

March 20, 2023

Most Viewed

California could be the first state in the country to ban some much debated food additives

California coronavirus updates: Second round of Sacramento’s universal basic income program funded in part through COVID-19 relief budget

10 new California laws that go into effect in 2023

Proposed bill would overhaul referendum petition process in California

California coronavirus updates: Medicaid enrollees may start getting removed from program as pandemic-era rules expire

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Most Viewed

California could be the first state in the country to ban some much debated food additives

California coronavirus updates: Second round of Sacramento’s universal basic income program funded in part through COVID-19 relief budget

10 new California laws that go into effect in 2023

Proposed bill would overhaul referendum petition process in California

California coronavirus updates: Medicaid enrollees may start getting removed from program as pandemic-era rules expire

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    •  
      (916) 278-8900
    •  
      (877) 480-5900
    •  Contact / Feedback
    •  Submit a Tip / Story Idea
  • About

    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Stations & Coverage Map
    • Careers & Internships
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
    • Press
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile Apps
    • Smart Speakers
    • Podcasts & Shows
    • On-Air Schedules
    • Daily Playlist
    • Signal Status
  • Connect

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen Live

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2023, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.