March 2024 Storm
Thursday, March 28, 2024 -Precautionary Releases Begin from Bradbury Dam
Santa Ynez River has increased flow as Reclamation began precautionary releases on March 27, 2024
United States Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) advised SYRWCD that on Wednesday March 27th they began making precautionary releases at Bradbury Dam in anticipation of the approaching storm, the bulk of which is projected to hit landfall this weekend tappering off early in the week. At 8:00am, they opened a gate on the Spillway to increase the release by 750 cfs, and at 4:00pm they added another 250 cfs so that a total of a 1000 cfs if flowing down the Spillway, and the total Bradbury Dam release is about 1280 cfs.
As of March 28th@3:00am, Lake Cachuma was at elevation 753.69, that translates to a storage of 195,135 acre-feet; the lake is currently dropping at a pace of about (+/-) 0.1 feet every 5 hours.
Based on current forecast projections Reclamation is trying to decrease storage from elevation 754. 0 feet down to an elevation between 752.0 - 752.5 feet which will provide ~1500 acre-feet - 3500 acre-feet of buffer storage.
Given what they know now, they expect to see peak inflows of perhaps up to 4000 cfs and somewhere between 2 to 5 inches of precipation, but will make adjustments as appropriate in real-time as the storm evolves.
Reclamation will continue to monitor forecast as the storm progresses and make further operational adjustments as appropriate.
Follow the Santa Ynez River water levels with USGS Stream Sensors. Here are the links:
Real-time Rainfall, River-Stream, and Reservoir Data - SEE THIS LINK.
Resources and Information:
- For small animal shelter information, call Santa Barbara County Animal Services at 805-681-4332.
- For large animal evacuation assistance, please call 805-892-4484.
- For additional information, contact the Santa Barbara County Call Center at 833-688-5551.
- For status of school operations please contact your school site administrators.
- Storm readiness tips: http://www.readysbc.org/StormReadiness
- For status of highways: https://roads.dot.ca.gov/roadscell.php
- For status of County roadways: https://www.countyofsb.org/2116/Road-Closures
- For County sandbag filling locations: https://www.countyofsb.org/2219/Sandbags
- Sign up for ReadySBC Emergency Alerts: https://member.everbridge.net/index/892807736723794#/signup
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For updated and detailed information, please visit ReadySBC.org or call Santa Barbara County's Emergency Call Center at (833) 688-5551 or 211.