Wednesday April 8, 2026
Fresno Bee —
The Bureau of Reclamation announced Tuesday that it will temporarily release more water from Keswick Dam into the Sacramento River to help juvenile Chinook salmon safely make their journey to the ocean. The move came about two weeks after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released more than 6.2 million young salmon from Coleman Hatchery into Battle Creek, prompting conservationists to urge the agency to increase dam-releases into Sacramento River that’s facing low flows.
The move came about two weeks after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released more than 6.2 million young salmon from Coleman Hatchery into Battle Creek, prompting conservationists to urge the agency to increase dam-releases into Sacramento River that’s facing low flows.
“This pulse flow is designed to improve survival rates for juvenile Chinook salmon as they migrate to the ocean,” the bureau said in a news release. Pulse flows are conditional events that span four to seven days and can increase or decrease dam releases, often triggered to support river conditions. “This pulse flow is scheduled to begin around April 8, with peak Keswick releases near 10,000 cfs (cubic feet per second). Releases from Keswick Dam will vary to shape pulse flow conditions,” the bureau continued. Pulse flows will take place in April and May, targeting to increase flow rates to about 11,000 cubic feet per second at Wilkins Slough, it added.