{"id":15125,"date":"2025-02-04T22:28:45","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T22:28:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/02\/04\/critics-call-trumps-release-of-california-reservoir-water-dangerous-wasteful-national\/"},"modified":"2025-02-04T22:28:45","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T22:28:45","slug":"critics-call-trumps-release-of-california-reservoir-water-dangerous-wasteful-national","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/02\/04\/critics-call-trumps-release-of-california-reservoir-water-dangerous-wasteful-national\/","title":{"rendered":"Critics call Trump\u2019s release of California reservoir water dangerous, wasteful – National"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Water experts are sounding the alarm after U.S. President Donald Trump<\/a> ordered the opening of two dams<\/a> in Central California late last week, letting approximately 2.2 billion gallons of water flow out of reservoirs.<\/p>\n

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The Army Corps of Engineers released water from two reservoirs in the Sierra Nevada on Friday, but the move didn\u2019t allow for much warning<\/a> for local farmers, reported Politico.<\/p>\n

\u201cLocal water managers on the Kaweah and Tule rivers had to move equipment and alert farms about possible flooding with only an hour\u2019s notice,\u201d Kaweah River Water Master Victor Hernandez told the outlet, calling the situation \u201calarming and scary.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s not the only one expressing concerns about the water management tactic, which many have argued is a misguided move on the part of Trump, who said in recent weeks that California withheld critical water supplies that could have made a difference<\/a> when fighting the flames of wildfires that ravaged Los Angeles<\/a> and Southern California last month.<\/p>\n

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On Friday, Trump posted an announcement showing a photo of a flowing river, calling it the \u201cbeautiful water flow that I just opened in California.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\tA post from President Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform, boasting about releasing water from California dams.\t\t\t\t<\/span>
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\n\t\t\t\t\tTruth Social\t\t\t\t<\/cite>
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\u201cThere is absolutely no connection<\/a> between this water and the water needed for firefighting in L.A.,\u201d Peter Gleick, a climate and hydrology expert and senior fellow with the American non-profit Pacific Institute, told CBS News. \u201cThere\u2019s no physical connection. There\u2019s no way to move the water from where it is to the Los Angeles basin.\u201d<\/p>\n

Furthermore, Gleick told the Los Angeles Times, the water will \u201cnot be used or usable for firefighting, not be used by farmers since this isn\u2019t the irrigation season, and won\u2019t be saved for the dry season, which is coming.\u201d<\/p>\n

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It was \u201ca needlessly self-destructive action<\/a> purely for political showmanship,\u201d Gleick said.<\/p>\n

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Here\u2019s a look at how the release of water could affect California residents, farm operations and animals in coming months.<\/p>\n

Risk of flooding<\/h2>\n

Some experts argue that winter \u2014 typically when California receives most of its precipitation \u2014 was not the best time to release water from the dams, arguing it may be wasted or even lead to flooding.<\/p>\n

\u201cReleasing it now, when it\u2019s raining doesn\u2019t do anybody good, except it creates the very real risk of potential flooding<\/a>,\u201d water strategist Barry Nelson told CBS.<\/p>\n

Hernandez told Politico that local officials were able to step in at the last minute and narrowly prevent flooding<\/a> over the weekend, talking the Army Corps of Engineers into releasing just 2.2 billion gallons, instead of the 5.2 billion gallons Trump boasted<\/a> were coming in his Truth Social post.<\/p>\n

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https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/113925591427889253<\/a><\/p>\n

While it\u2019s not unusual for water to be released from dams ahead of heavy precipitation events, like the rainfall that hit Northern California over the weekend, Hernandez said Trump\u2019s initial directive would have released far more water than needed and flooded the Kaweah and Tule rivers.<\/p>\n

\u201cChannel capacity is very dangerous,\u201d Hernandez told Politico. \u201cPeople don\u2019t understand that [with] channel capacity, you\u2019re going to have flood damage<\/a> down below.\u201d<\/div>\n

Risk of insufficient water<\/h2>\n