The Bureau of Reclamation’s 111-year-old East Park Reservoir is being refilled after a summer drawdown of water to inspect the gate and repair the dam gate.
The reservoir and surrounding parklands closed last August to allow for the dam inspections when the reservoir level was at its lowest since 1977, due to drought conditions, which resulted in a near total loss of the reservoir’s fish.
East Park Dam and Reservoir are located in the foothills in western Colusa County.
The dam is owned by Reclamation and operated and maintained by the Orland Unit Water Users Association. Colusa County manages the reservoir and 1,600 acres of adjacent parklands for recreation.
Although repairs on the dam infrastructure have occurred since being built, the regulating gate on the dam broke in 2020 and required repair last summer, officials said, in a news release.
Orland Unit Water Users Association completed the installation of the replacement regulating gate and rehabilitation of the lower and mid-level gates. The gates for the dam’s lower intake stem will be fully completed early next year, officials said.
East Park Reservoir is currently refilling via the East Park Feed Canal, with a little help from recent precipitation.
Reclamation plans to restock the reservoir in 2022 with a focus on fish species that had known stable populations prior to 2021. This includes largemouth bass (fry and juveniles), bluegill (fry, juveniles, and adults), redear sunfish (fry, juvenile, and adults), channel catfish (juveniles and subadults), and fathead minnows and mosquito fish. Sacramento blackfish will be stocked as adults, representing the first time this native California species has been stocked in this reservoir, officials said.
Stocking of fish will occur March through June 2022.
Officials expect that within two years, all stocked fish species should be reproducing and growing well to support improved conditions for recreational fishing.
County anticipates that the reservoir and surrounding parklands will be reopened this spring. ■