Carson water district responds to drought; enhances flows in the West Fork of the Carson River
Due to the ongoing drought, limited water in the Carson River impacts fish and wildlife habitats, especially by the end of summer. To enhance flows along the West Fork of the Carson River, the Carson Water Subconservancy District is utilizing their storage water rights to supplement water in the watershed.
CWSD owns water rights in the upper watershed at Lost Lakes that are held and utilized for recreation during the summer months. They are used to augment stream flows in the fall for environmental, recreational and municipal uses.
CWSD is currently releasing water out of Lost Lakes in the upper watershed in Alpine County, California. This should boost the flow by about five to six cubic feet per second.
There is currently approximately 70 acre feet of water between the upper and lower Lost Lakes. This slight increase in flows in the West Fork of the Carson River is timely, as the Alpine Aspen Festival is taking place September 25-28 in Alpine County’s Hope Valley and Markleeville. For more information on the festival, visit www.AspenFest.org.
To learn more about CWSD and the Carson River Watershed water supply, visit www.cwsd.org.
Ed James is the General Manager of the Carson Water Subconservancy District. He can be reached at edjames@cwsd.org or (775) 887-7456.
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