June 14, 2024

Contact: Danielle Parra

Vista Consulting on behalf of KRWA, Cell: 559-360-9229

Fresno, CA – Pine Flat Reservoir’s water storage is full thanks to the Sierra Nevada snow melt. At noon on Tuesday, June 11, the reservoir reached the seasonal peak at 99.2%, or 992,855 acre-feet, of the nearly one million acre-feet capacity. The last remaining snow is melting and keeping inflows high. However, Pine Flat releases for irrigation demand along the Kings River are outpacing the inflow causing the reservoir level to begin dropping.

“Pine Flat Dam was designed decades ago to offer flood control and water storage benefits for the people of the Central Valley,” said Kings River Watermaster Steve Haugen. “The Kings River water source is primarily snowmelt, which accumulates in the with winter storm and melts through the spring and sometimes summer.”

The water delivery season in the Kings River below Pine Flat is already in full swing, with wetted river channel down to Stratford at the end of the South Fork and out the end of the North Fork east of the City of San Joaquin. Some increases in Pine Flat Dam releases are expected in June and July, with flows tapering off in August. The water delivery is in part due to the ample water supply carried over from last year, coupled with an unusually average snowpack and water runoff this year.

The Kings River provides surface water to nearly one million acres of land within the Kings River Service Area. “We have passed peak snow melt but flow in the river is still swift and cold; therefore, it is important to practice good water safety,” said Haugen. Anyone along the river and lakes, including those who enjoy fishing and other river-related recreation, need to be cautious and pay attention to water safety.