In a sudden move that caught local officials off guard, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dramatically increased water releases from two dams in Tulare County, California, following directions from former President Trump.
The federal agency boosted water flows from Terminus Dam at Lake Kaweah and Schafer Dam at Lake Success early Friday morning. Data shows the Kaweah River flow near Visalia surged from 57 to over 1,500 cubic feet per second, while the Tule River flow near Porterville jumped from 105 to 990 cubic feet per second.
The action came four days after Trump announced on social media that the U.S. military had "entered" California and "TURNED ON THE WATER," though state officials disputed this characterization.
Tyler Stalker, spokesperson for the Corps in Sacramento, confirmed they were "conducting controlled water releases" in coordination with local authorities, stating the releases were within downstream capacity limits.
Gene Pawlik from Corps headquarters said the action aligned with Trump's recent executive order for "emergency measures to provide water resources" in California, specifically citing wildfire response needs. However, the intended destination for the released water remains unclear.
The timing coincides with approaching atmospheric river storms forecast to bring precipitation to California. While dam managers typically release water before major storms to accommodate incoming runoff, local irrigation officials noted this case was unusual.
"I've been doing this 18 years and have never seen something like this," said Aaron Fukuda, general manager of the Tulare Irrigation District, noting such releases normally involve extensive advance coordination.
The water releases represent the latest development in ongoing tensions between federal and state authorities over California water management policies and environmental protections.