By the end of this week, water flows in the American River will be lower than anyone has seen in a generation. And soon, many residents of suburban Sacramento could be banned from watering their lawns.

Unusual winter drought conditions are driving Sacramento-area water agencies to make difficult choices. Starting today, the effects will be visible to anyone who walks, fishes or boats along the American River, one of the largest in California.

Early this morning, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation was expected to cut water releases from Folsom Dam into the river from 1,100 cubic feet per second to 800 cfs. This will drop the river’s elevation within its bed by about 6 inches.

It won’t stop there. Each night this week until Friday, dam releases will be cut in stages until flows reach 500 cfs. At that point, it will likely be easy to walk across the river in many locations.

Such flows have not been seen in the American River since January 1993, according to Reclamation, which operates Folsom and Nimbus dams on the river. In comparison, the median January flow in the river over the past 15 years was about 1,700 cfs.

The reduction is intended to prolong the water supply stored behind Folsom Dam, a source of drinking water for some 500,000 people in the suburban Sacramento area. With no rain in the forecast, and the water level behind the dam shriveled to 18 percent of capacity after a dry start to winter, officials said dramatic conservation efforts are necessary.

Reclamation officials reached the decision on Friday after meeting with area water providers and wildlife agencies.

“The watershed is so dry right now, there’s such limited snowpack and the lake is already so low that we’re trying to look ahead and be conservative,” said Shana Kaplan, a Reclamation spokeswoman. “I think everybody’s trying to be as proactive as we can.”

Dropping the river so low will be deadly to some fall-run Chinook salmon eggs now waiting to hatch from nests, or redds, in the gravel riverbed. Tom Gohring, executive director of the Sacramento Water Forum, said flows of only 500 cfs could mean that 10 to 15 percent of the redds in the river will be lost because they will go dry as the river drops.

The Sacramento suburb of Folsom is imposing a mandatory 20 percent cut in water use as the dry winter continues and as the city’s main source of water – Folsom Lake – is 22 percent of capacity.

“This low water level, combined with critically dry weather conditions, necessitates immediate action to conserve water and protect our water supply,” says Folsom City Manager Evert Palmer.

Folsom is the first Central Valley city to impose such restrictions during the current dry spell.

Mandatory water use restrictions for businesses and residences limit landscape watering to two designated days per week; prohibit washing of parking lots, streets, driveways or sidewalks; and prohibit use of city water for construction purposes such as dust control, compaction or trench jetting without approval.

“During cold winter months, landscapes need very little water, making this an easy time of year to achieve significant water savings,” says Folsom Environmental and Water Resources Director Marcus Yasutake. “Approximately 60 percent of the water used by a typical Folsom family is directed to landscape. We’re encouraging residents to turn off sprinklers to conserve water. An added benefit will be significant savings on water bills.”

Those who choose to water are restricted to two days per week and asked to avoid excessive watering that runs off onto sidewalks, street and gutters.

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