Trinity Lake Water Reference Library

How Trinity Lake is Managed

Trinity Lake water is managed by the Bureau of Reclamaintion while the lake usage (i.e., recreation, fishing, etc.) is managed by the U.S. Forest Service as a National Recreation Area. The lake is not managed by the State of California.

2010 River Flow schedule graphic

Daily status and historical comparisons of Lake Level

• Daily CVP Water Supply Report - shows current lake storage, inflow and outflow for the current water year and compares to 15 year average
• Daily Lake Elevation and Flows Report - shows lake elevation, inflow and outflows down-river and to the CVP
• Daily CVP Trinity Lake Operations Report - measures inflow, outflow to power, spillway and evaporation as well as precipitation at the hatchery
• DWR Daily Reservoir Storage Summary

Trinity River "Restoration" Program

• Trinity River Restoration Program
• A summary of the Federal "Decision 2000." This order set the plan for river restoration. This document is much like a marketing brochure, but easy to read.
• The formal Trinity River Restoration Record of Decision
• The Trinity River Flow Study that led to the Record of Decision

Water Advocacy

• California Water Impact Network

Dept. of Interior, Bureau of Reclamation
Central Valley Project

• USBR Central Valley Project Main Web Page
• History of the Central Valley Project
• The Central Valley Project Improvement Act of 1992 (the CVPIA). Trinity Lake is part of the CVP. This act changed the way that Reclamation manages the lake.

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California Water Wars

There are SO many players in the battle for water in California. Here are some articles that show the extent of the demand for water:

• Water Rights Primer and Water Rights Database Search
• Paper Water: Overview and Estimate of Paper Water in the CVP
• California Water Project Overview: CSWP and CVP
• Selenium Case Study - the story of Westlands Water Dist.
• Myths and Facts about the 2010 Water Supply - facts about the Westlands Water Dist. claims about fallow land
• SalmonWaterNow.org's videos about water, farmers, and salmon. Mostly Central Valley focused. Good videos are Water Pirates; Science, Water, and Salmon; and Bad Week for the Truth.
• The Cadillac of California irrigation districts has more than a tiny fish to blame for its troubles - Nice article on background on the Westlands Water Distinct, current state water fight, and Peripheral Canal
• Calif DWR Drought website. DWR officially called 2009 "Year 3" of the drought.
• Wine grape watering clashes with salmon protection

Pacific Institute

• More with Less: Agricultural Water Conservation and Efficiency in California - A Special Focus on the Delta
• Waste Not, Want Not: The Potential for Urban Water Conservation in California
• Sustaining California Agriculture in an Uncertain Future

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Trinity Lake History

• How Trinity River Lost Its Water
• November 25, 1960 -- the date the Trinity Dam's lower gates were closed to begin filling Trinity Lake
• October 14, 1961 -- the date Trinity Dam was dedicated by Interior Secretary Stewart Udall

Rural Sustainability

Although we are not a farming community, many of the articles from the Center for Rural Affairs relate to us and are food for thought:

• Renew Rural America portal
• Saving small local grocery stores
• VFDs keep America safe with fewer numbers
• Absentee landowners
• Reinventing restaurants (and rural communities)