Forecast-Coordinated Operations

Since establishment in 1959, Yuba Water Agency has worked to build projects, like the New Bullards Bar Dam and Reservoir, to reduce the risk of flooding in Yuba County. Yuba Water Agency continually seeks to implement other, non-structural measures to improve public safety, such as agency and technology development. One successful example of this recent work is the implementation of Forecast-Coordinated Operations (F-CO).

Data Gathering

After a devastating flood in 1997, Yuba Water Agency initiated studies directed toward developing a high level of flood protection for Yuba County and the surrounding communities.

Through improved data gathering, real-time information exchange, and utilization of the most recent advancements for weather and river forecasting, the F-CO helps minimize the risk of exceeding river channel capacity and increases warning times - when needed - to the communities along the Yuba and Feather Rivers and downstream.

  1. Agency Partners
  2. Community Benefits

The development and implementation of the F-CO is a multi-agency partnership effort. Yuba Water has a history of working together with several partnering agencies to prepare flood-related information, to operate and maintain the control structures and to serve the public during flood emergencies. These agencies include:

They have established procedures, protocols and infrastructure for exchanging and sharing flood information, which will be enhanced by the F-CO program.

Operation Cooperation

Lake Oroville is operated by the Department of Water Resources and has a flood storage capacity of 750,000 acre-feet. New Bullards Bar Reservoir has a flood capacity of 170,000 acre-feet. The key to reducing flood risk is the coordination of these operations during major flood events through a decision process that uses the most accurate forecast information that can be obtained, including estimates of flood forecast uncertainty.