The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District is moving forward with the Folsom Dam Raise Project to improve flood risk management and address dam safety issues associated with safely passing rare, extreme flood events at Folsom Dam. Four components of the project have been authorized including emergency spillway gate modifications, a three-and-a-half-foot raise, temperature control shutter reconfiguration, and downstream ecosystem restoration of Bushy Lake and Woodlake.
The raise project has prioritized the emergency gates and a three-and-a-half-foot raise of the right and left wing of the main dam, Mormon Island Auxiliary Dam and dikes 1 through 8 as the first two phases of the project. These flood damage reduction components are expected to enhance the utilization of the reservoir’s existing surcharge flood storage space as well as increase the temporary water storage space that can be used during flood events.
The Corps is currently preparing a joint environmental impact statement/environmental impact report (EIS/EIR) in coordination with California’s Central Valley Flood Protection Board, the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to analyze environmental effects of potential plans as well as the cumulative effects of related projects.
Work on the remaining authorized phases will begin after construction of these features.