SLO County will release reservoir water into the Salinas River. Here’s why
After a rainy winter in San Luis Obispo County, the sunshine is finally back for summer — but this means parts of the Salinas River are drying up.
On Monday, the San Luis Obispo County Public Works Department confirmed there was a dry section of the Salinas River in Monterey County near Bradley Road, the agency announced in a news release.
Without a free-flowing river, the county will resume releasing water from the Salinas Reservoir Dam at Santa Margarita Lake back into the Salinas River, the agency said.
The agency is required by a 1972 California State Water Resources Control Board ruling to release water from the reservoir when part of the river dries up to ensure property owners downstream have access to water, SLO County Public Works Department program manager Laura Holder said.
Before the dam was built, the Salinas River flowed freely and could be used by property owners in the area.
When the dam was built, it prevented the downstream flow — so the State Water Resources Control Board required the county to release water from the dam when the river dried up to avoid interfering with the water rights of downstream property owners, Holder said.
The reservoir is a key water provider for the city of San Luis Obispo, and it is currently at 99.9% capacity, according to the agency.
The river started flowing uninterrupted on Jan. 22 because of the winter rainfall, the release said.
When the river naturally flows uninterrupted, the county stores its water in the Salinas Reservoir, the agency said.
