Pine Flat Dam could be raised, Fresno County leader reacts
Jan 13, 2025
FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Since its completion in 1954 Pine Flat Dam has stood 430 feet tall, and now the Army Corps of Engineers is weighing if the dam should be raised.
President Biden signed a new law last week fast-tracking the study that has been slowed down by years of red tape. The study will evaluate a plan to raise Pine Flat Dam by 12 feet adding 124,000 acre-feet to Pine Flat Lake's 1 million acre-foot water capacity.
“That would allow us to save that water when we can use it to improve our water supply to improve groundwater recharge the need for water for our communities,” said Valley Congressmen Jim Costa.
The study is expected to take a couple of years but it is confident the need is there - especially after back-to-back wet winters which forced the Corp of Engineers to release water from valley reservoirs at historic levels.
“Taking advantage of when we have above average rainfall to create that water reliability over the long term,” Costa said.
Once the survey is done there is no telling how long construction could take if approved. Costa says that in his time in office, he has seen similar projects take up to 10 years, meanwhile stadiums in the state with similar price tags have been built in half that time.
“The fact that the matter is sometimes we get our priorities out of whack I think” Costa said.