Gravity Rides Everything, or “I’m a big boy and I’m helping”
In January 2025, the Trump administration ordered the release of significant amounts of water from two dams in California’s Central Valley[1][2], reportedly in response to wildfires affecting the Los Angeles and San Diego areas[6].
However, rather than effectively helping with firefighting efforts, this water release created problems:
- The released water ended up flowing into the Tulare Lake Basin, a normally dry lake bed that had previously experienced flooding in 2023[3].
- The decision was apparently made abruptly by Army Corps of Engineers officials, raising numerous concerns from local water authorities[4][7].
- The volume of released water was substantial – approximately 6,700 acre feet over a three-day period from January 31 through February 2[8].
- The release appeared to be triggered by President Trump’s January 24 decree to send more water to Southern California for firefighting, but instead resulted in dumping what would have been summer irrigation water[9].
This incident appears to represent a case of mismanaged water policy, where the intended firefighting support actually resulted in potential flooding issues for local communities[7].
References:
[1]: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/31/us/trump-water-california-central-valley.html
[2]: https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2025-01-31/trump-california-dams-opened-up
[3]: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/03/07/trump-water-release-california-fires/
[4]: https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2025-03-13/trump-army-corps-dam-water-dumped
[5]: https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/01/27/hear-the-experts-give-the-real-facts-on-california-water/
[6]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_2025_Southern_California_wildfires
[7]: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/01/31/trump-california-water-00201909
[8]: https://mavensnotebook.com/2025/02/08/ag-alert-frustrated-and-confused-army-corps-dam-releases-sent-farmers-scrambling/
[9]: https://gvwire.com/2025/01/31/trump-emergency-order-triggers-water-dump-from-tulare-county-lakes/