From the San Joaquin River Restoration Program:
The Restoration Administrator, an independent body stipulated by the Settlement, has revised the river flow schedule in response to Millerton Lake conditions. This schedule has now been approved by Reclamation.
Restoration Flows ceased in late June to conserve the limited volume of cold water behind Friant Dam, which impounds Millerton Lake. Since late June, the only Friant Dam releases to the San Joaquin River have been to meet holding contract requirements which set a minimum of 5 cfs passing Gravelly Ford (located 38 miles downstream of Friant Dam).
Reclamation regularly monitors water temperatures in Millerton Lake. The data indicate that resuming Restoration Flows in late September would be beneficial to salmon. Restoration Flows will recommence in accordance with the approved schedule below. The public is encouraged to check Friant Dam releases before recreating near the San Joaquin River as conditions and flow schedules may change.
| Date | Friant Dam Releases | Flow Target at Gravelly Ford |
| September 1 – 24 | 240 – 260 cfs | 5 cfs |
| September 25 – 30 | Approximately 340 cfs | Increasing to 95 cfs |
| October 1 – 5 | Approximately 490 cfs | Increasing to 235 cfs |
| October 6 – 31 | 450 – 500 cfs | 235 cfs |
| November 1 – February 28, 2026 | 400 – 500 cfs | 255 cfs |
Last spring, Reclamation biologists found a record-setting number of returning adult Spring-run Chinook salmon. These adult salmon will soon begin forming redds in the river channel (“redds” are a cleared depression in the gravel and cobbles where fish deposit eggs). Once salmon eggs are deposited and fertilized, they require cold water to develop. Restoration Flow releases from Friant Dam are scheduled to provide salmon the best chance of survival and reproduction; read more about the Program’s effort to support the salmon lifecycle here.
For information about Restoration Flows, please visit http://www.restoresjr.net/restoration-goal/restoration-flows/.
For the Restoration Administrator recommendations, please visit http://www.restoresjr.net/documentsreports/ra-recommendations/.
For additional information about the San Joaquin River Restoration Program, please visit http://www.restoresjr.net or contact Josh Newcom, Public Affairs Specialist, at 916-978-5508 or snewcom@usbr.gov.
