In a desperate attempt to avoid a water crisis in the coming months, the operator of Folsom Dam may reduce outflows to the bare minimum necessary to protect spawning steelhead trout in the American River.

Bureau of Reclamation Central California area manager Drew Lessard said his staff was in talks with federal and state wildlife officials to determine how much outflows could be cut without harming the winter run of the trout, a federally-protected species.

At 363 feet above sea level, Folsom Lake has never been so low in January; the dam is currently releasing four times more water than is flowing into the reservoir.

“We’re proposing to reduce our flows into the American River so we can maintain water conservation in the dam,” Lessard said.

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