LAKE ISABELLA, Calif. (KERO) — The outflow of water from Lake Isabella into the lower Kern River has been dialed down as water officials try to strike a balance between the remaining snow melt and filling the reservoir.
According to Mark Mulkay, the Kern Water Master, the Army Corps of Engineers was reducing the amount of water coming out of Lake Isabella. The flow was as high as 7,500 cubic feet per second on Mon, June 5.
A request was made to slow the flow to 6,000 cubic feet on the morning of Sun, June 11. However, the flow then bumped back up to 6,600 CFS by the afternoon.
Officials think the process at this point is looking good.
"The great message too is that it's a new dam with a new plan, so we're not working off of something old that we're really concerned about," said Kern County Fire Department Battalion Chief Jake Cagle. "Army Corps of Engineers and the Water Master have a great plan in place and they're keeping us abreast, so that helps out with those concerns that we have."
Water officials are trying to gauge the melt in the coming month so that the lake will be filled to its maximum of 568,000 acre-feet. The lake may even top the spillway.
Those are requirements for the Army Corps of Engineers to sign off on the repairs that were made to the Isabella Dam.
