I think it’s unfortunate that so much misinformation is being fed to our elected officials and the public about the sources and remedies for the current flood threat along the San Joaquin river and in other parts of the valley, particularly at Firebaugh.

No water released from Friant Dam is threatening Merced or Firebaugh. Most of the water flowing past Firebaugh in the San Joaquin river channel is coming from the Kings river via Fresno Slough at Mendota. The Army corps of Engineers is making releases from Pine Flat Dam on the Kings and that water is being deliberately diverted into the San Joaquin river, causing the flood threat at Firebaugh, instead of flowing into Tulare Lake, as nature intended.

Friant Dam releases are being diverted into the Chowchilla bypass a few miles upstream from Mendota and Firebaugh, with very little actual Friant water reaching the Mendota Pool, because a diversion structure is blocking the flow.

To use the flood threat at Firebaugh to promote a dam at Temperance Flat above Friant Dam is scare tactics. If we want to protect Firebaugh, Kings River releases should go into Tulare Lake and not into the San Joaquin river.

Let’s wait for the feasibility studies on Temperance Flat to be completed before we begin the public debate on the merits of taxpayers funding a $1 billion to $2 billion dam.