How Yuba Water Agency Is Preparing for an El Niño Winter, and How Residents Can, Too by Yuba Water Agency Oct 21, 2026 Member Submitted News Held each year at the end of October, California Flood Preparedness Week is an opportunity for local, state and federal agencies to share information about flood risk and how to prepare for future flood events. With forecasts pointing to a strong El Niño this winter, Yuba Water Agency is preparing for the upcoming rainy season as it does every year: closely monitoring weather forecasts, maintaining critical flood infrastructure and coordinating with local, state and federal flood management partners. By now, you’ve likely heard that California is in an El Niño season. While strong El Niño conditions can increase the likelihood of a wetter winter in parts of California, particularly in Southern California, they don’t guarantee significant storms or flooding in the Yuba River watershed. “El Niño can influence winter weather patterns, but it doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll see significantly more or less precipitation in our area,” said Yuba Water Director of Resource Planning John James. “What matters most is the strength, timing and location of individual storms, and it’s still too early to have a clear view of specific storms.” In fact, historically, the six strongest El Niño patterns in this region had mixed results, with two being very wet years, two being dry, one average and one slightly more wet. It’s also worth noting that the two major flood events in Yuba County’s history in 1986 and 1997 did not take place during an El Niño. Yuba Water’s role in reducing flood risk for Yuba County Regardless of the forecast, Yuba Water prepares every year for a range of possible scenarios, including high water events and floods. That includes doing routine maintenance, monitoring weather conditions and coordinating closely with local, state and federal flood partners on reservoir operations, levee monitoring and emergency response. “Flood preparedness is a year-round effort, and training and coordination with our flood partners is a big part of that,” said Yuba Water Director of Water Resources and Flood Risk Ryan McNally. “We regularly practice high-water and big storm scenarios with our partners, so that when major storms arrive, we’re ready to respond quickly and effectively. We never approach these scenarios in a vacuum.” Video: Yuba County’s regional flood response team talks about the teamwork that happens before, during and after high water events. At the heart of Yuba Water’s flood risk reduction efforts is New Bullards Bar Dam and Reservoir on the North Yuba River in the Yuba County foothills. Completed in 1970, the dam remains the agency’s primary tool for managing flood flows and reducing risk. New Bullards Bar provides dedicated flood storage for the Yuba River system each winter, holding back water before, during and after large storms. Yuba Water also coordinates closely with the California Department of Water Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on water releases from Lake Oroville to reduce peak flows and protect communities along the Feather, Yuba and Sacramento rivers. Yuba Water is also working with researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography’s Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at UC San Diego and other partners to improve weather forecasting and reservoir operations. Advances in atmospheric river forecasting help reservoir operators make more informed decisions about when to release or hold back water before, during and after major storms. This work is also helping lay the foundation for Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations, an approach that uses improved forecasts to help reduce downstream flood risk while maintaining water supply reliability. “Reducing the risk of flooding for the people of Yuba County is why Yuba Water was created, and it remains one of our highest priorities,” said Yuba Water General Manager Willie Whittlesey. “Despite the penstock incident earlier this year that has taken our New Colgate Powerhouse offline, we want to assure everyone that New Bullards Bar Dam and Reservoir is safe, fully operational and ready for flood season.” Beyond operating New Bullards Bar, Yuba Water has invested significant local funding, which helped secure millions in additional state and federal dollars for flood risk reduction projects throughout Yuba County. These investments have helped accelerate major levee improvements, including setback levees that give floodwater more room to spread, slurry walls that reduce seepage risk, new levee monitoring technologies and more. Yuba County also has dedicated levee and reclamation districts that keep up with routine maintenance and levee inspections. Thanks to these combined efforts, Yuba County has some of the most modern and updated urban levees in California. How Yuba County residents can prepare Despite decades of investment in flood risk reduction infrastructure, no levee, dam or other flood management system can completely eliminate flood risk. And while you may have heard the term “100-year flood” or “100-year storm,” that doesn’t mean an event that happens once every century. It actually refers to a flood that has a 1 percent chance of occurring in any given year, meaning major floods can happen in back-to-back years or even multiple times in one year. Video: Think a “100-year flood” only happens once every 100 years? Think again. Local flood engineer Dave Gutierrez about what flood risk really means. So, whether it’s a perfectly average year or wetter than usual, everyone can do their part today to prepare. Here are five simple steps residents can take now to prepare for the rainy season: Know your flood risk. Check California’s MyHazards tool to learn about potential hazards near your home, even if you don’t live next to a river. Sign up for emergency alerts. Make sure you’re registered to receive local emergency notifications from your county’s office of emergency services, so you know when to take action. Know your evacuation zone and potential evacuation routes. Know your evacuation zone and familiarize yourself with different evacuation routes in your area. Evacuation routes always depend on the type of emergency and the areas impacted, so you should follow first responders’ instructions when that time comes. Make an emergency plan and emergency go-bag. Make a household emergency plan, including where you’ll go, how you’ll get there and how you’ll communicate with family. Pack an emergency go-bag with water, nonperishable food, chargers, batteries, medications, flashlights and important documents. Don’t forget about pets! Follow official sources of information. When a big storm is in the forecast, knowing where to get accurate, timely information is so important. Follow the National Weather Service for weather forecasts, flood watches and warnings and your county’s office of emergency services and sheriff’s department for local alerts, evacuation warnings and orders. While Yuba Water and its flood management partners work year-round to reduce flood risk, taking a few simple steps now can help you and your loved ones stay safe when the next major storm arrives.
