Senator Padilla Demands Answers After Army Corps Orders Central Valley Dams Open to Flood Levels

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The recklessness of the Trump Administration was demonstrated once again when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Jan. 30 directed unscheduled water releases from Lake Kaweah and Success Lake in Tulare County, raising concerns about flooding on the same farms that Trump said he is trying to “help.” 

This was done “purportedly to assist in fighting Los Angeles County fires that are already almost fully contained,” according to a press release from Senator Alex Padilla’s Office. On Jan. 31, Padilla questioned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after the order was issued. 

“Local officials warned the Corps that releasing water at the levels the Corps planned to would have flooded both the Kaweah and Tule rivers, posing a flood risk to communities and farms down river and wasting water that could have been used for irrigation over the summer,” according to Padilla.

The decision followed President Trump’s Jan. 24th Executive Order directing federal agencies to maximize water deliveries in the state, falsely claiming that statewide water policy was to blame for the devastating Los Angeles County fires.

The orders are entitled, “Emergency Measures to Provide Water Resources in California and Improve Disaster Response in Certain Areas.” 

“Consistent with the direction in the Executive Order on Emergency Measures to Provide Water Resources in California, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is releasing water from Terminus Dam at Lake Kaweah and Schafer Dam at Success Lake to ensure California has water available to respond to the wildfires,” wrote Gene Pawlik, a supervising public affairs specialist in the Army Corps’ Washington, D.C. office.

On Friday, Trump bragged about the flows with a post on X: “Photo of beautiful water flow that I just opened in California. Today, 1.6 billion gallons and, in 3 days, it will be 5.2 billion gallons. Everybody should be happy about this long fought Victory! I only wish they listened to me six years ago – There would have been no fire!”

In response to the Corps’ announcement, Padilla accused the agency with “recklessly endangering” downstream residents.

 “Unscheduled water releases require close coordination with local officials and safety personnel, as well as downstream agricultural water users, in order to reduce flood risks to communities and farms,” wrote Senator Padilla. “Based on the urgent concerns I have heard from my constituents, as well as recent reporting, it appears that gravely insufficient notification was given, recklessly endangering residents downstream.”

Padilla asked Secretary Hegseth the following four clarifying questions in response to Trump’s post:

1. Who directed that these releases be made?

2. If the purpose of these releases is to help fight wildfires in Los Angeles County (which are already almost fully contained), what is the plan to transport this water to Los Angeles rather than let the water simply be discharged into Tulare Lake where it will evaporate?

3. What type of notification, and how much advanced notice, was given to irrigation districts and public safety personnel to prepare for these increased flows?

4. What impact will these releases have on Tulare Lake communities, including private landowners?   

If and when Hegseth responds to Padilla’s questions, I will post it here.

San Joaquin Valley water managers told SJV Water that physical and legal barriers make it virtually impossible to use Tulare County river water for southern California wildfire abatement.

“Every drop belongs to someone,” Kaweah River Watermaster Victor Hernandez told SJV Water. “The reservoir may belong to the federal government, but the water is ours. If someone’s playing political games with this water, it’s wrong.”

Kaweah River flows went from 5 cubic feet per second (cfs) before the increase to 1,545 cfs. The flows were decreased and were down to 7 cfs on Feb. 3.

Releases from the Tule River went from 55 cfs before the increase to 798 cfs. The flows were decreased and were down to 55 cfs. on Feb. 3.   

More water would have been released Friday into the Kaweah and Tule rivers before local irrigation managers raised the alarm Thursday when the Corps told them releases would reach “channel capacity" for both dams, according to SJ Water. That’s 5,500 cfs for the Kaweah River below Lake Kaweah and 3,500 cfs for the Tule River below Lake Success. 

“Normally, these kinds of flood releases are done with a lot of notification and coordination. I’ve been doing this for 18 years and have never seen something like this,” Fukuta stated. 

The past two weeks have seen chaos, confusion and outrage in California resulting from Trump’s executive orders regarding the state’s water resources.

On Monday, Jan. 27, Trump implied that his executive orders were already being hastily and aggressively carried out as he posted on Truth Social: “The United States Military just entered the Great State of California and, under Emergency Powers, TURNED ON THE WATER flowing abundantly from the Pacific Northwest and beyond. The days of putting a Fake Environmental argument, over the PEOPLE, are OVER. Enjoy the water, California!!!”

This prompted the California Department of Water Resources, or DWR, to tweet the following response.

“The military did not enter California,” DWR clarified. “The federal government restarted federal water pumps after they were offline for maintenance for three days. State water supplies in Southern California remain plentiful.”

You can read about Senator Padilla’s response to that post here: www.dailykos.com/...

Trump’s Executive Orders were issued as Central Valley salmon and Delta fish populations are in their worst-ever crisis. Salmon fishing has been closed for the past two years and is expected to be closed this year also, due to the collapse of Sacramento and Klamath River fall-run Chinook populations.

For seven years in a row, no Delta smelt, an indicator species that was once the most abundant fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, have been caught in the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s annual fall survey.

Now, Trump appears to be ordering that far more fresh water be moved out of Northern California and the Delta and shipped down south, a move that would seal the doom of already imperiled Central Valley salmon and Delta fish populations.

For my breakdown of Trump’s “Truth” Social post blaming the Delta Smelt and Governor Newsom for the LA Fires, go here: sacramento.newsreview.com/...

The full text of Padilla’s letter is available here and below:

Dear Secretary Hegseth,

I write regarding the troubling unscheduled release of water from two dams in California’s Central Valley by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers following President Trump’s Executive Order falsely linking statewide water policies to the wildfires in Los Angeles. As I’m sure the Administration is aware, the rivers into which this water was released do not actually flow into Los Angeles.

Unscheduled water releases require close coordination with local officials and safety personnel, as well as downstream agricultural water users, in order to reduce flood risks to communities and farms. Based on the urgent concerns I have heard from my constituents, as well as recent reporting, it appears that gravely insufficient notification was given, recklessly endangering residents downstream. Therefore, I ask that you respond in writing to the following questions:

1. Who directed that these releases be made?

2. If the purpose of these releases is to help fight wildfires in Los Angeles County (which are already almost fully contained), what is the plan to transport this water to Los Angeles rather than let the water simply be discharged into Tulare Lake where it will evaporate?

3. What type of notification, and how much advance notice, was given to irrigation districts and public safety personnel to prepare for these increased flows?

4. What impact will these releases have on Tulare Lake communities, including private landowners?

Clarity and transparency on these matters are crucial to ensure that the public is properly informed, that proper procedures are followed, and that any actions taken in the name of protecting against natural disasters will have the intended impact. 

I look forward to your prompt response to these questions.  

Sincerely