Day: March 13, 2025

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Water officials knew Trump’s demand to open dams was ill-advised – Los Angeles Times

Water officials knew Trump’s demand to open dams was ill-advised – Los Angeles Times

When President Trump called for the federal government to β€œmaximize” water deliveries in California, commanders of the Army Corps of Engineers quickly found two dams where they could carry out that order. And even though the officials knew the water couldn’t be moved out of the Central Vally as Trump wished, they released billions of gallons anyway, according to a newly released government document.

The Feb. 3 memo by Col. Chad Caldwell, the corps’ regional commander, provides the most detailed account to date of how the agency responded to Trump’s order directing federal agencies to increase water deliveries in California. The document recounts how corps officials suddenly decided to dump water from the dams in January, and how they encountered questions and opposition from local water managers and lawmakers, who were concerned that letting out water didn’t make sense and that the high flows posed risks of flooding.

β€œIt was cavalier and an extremely high-risk decision, and wasteful,” said Ann Willis, California regional director of American Rivers, a nonprofit environmental organization.