MARYSVILLE, Calif. (Dec. 31, 2025) – Yuba Water Agency is preparing to release water from the spillway at New Bullards Bar Dam on the North Yuba River to create space for anticipated inflows from the oncoming storms.
“Winter storms are dynamic and can change by the hour, so our teams are closely monitoring the forecast and coordinating with our local, state and federal flood partners throughout the event,” said Yuba Water Flood Risk Manager Sami Nall. “New Bullards Bar exists first and foremost to reduce flood risk downstream, and that’s exactly what it’s doing right now.”
Yuba Water could begin releasing water from its spillway as early as Thursday, Jan. 1. The agency anticipates ramping up releases throughout the weekend and into next week. The exact amount of flows will depend on how the storm develops, but Yuba Water currently anticipates potentially releasing as much as 17,000 cubic feet per second, so valley residents can expect to see higher river flows throughout the storm.
Yuba Water only controls flows from New Bullards Bar on the North Yuba River. Changes in the lower Yuba River are also heavily influenced by flows from the Middle and South Yuba rivers, which are uncontrolled.
In addition to those uncontrolled flows, Yuba Water’s operations team considers many other factors when deciding to release water and how much. Crews closely coordinate with the California Department of Water Resources to track flows from Oroville Dam on the Feather River, watch the long-term forecast closely, monitor snow levels and snow melt to predict future inflows and much more.
The Yuba River can safely handle flows exceeding 100,000 cubic feet per second, so there is plenty of capacity to manage expected flows, but residents may see people patrolling the levees as a precautionary measure.
Yuba Water owns and operates New Bullards Bar Dam as part of a multipurpose flood risk reduction, water supply and hydropower project benefiting the people of Yuba County. The reservoir can store nearly one million acre-feet of water and is operated to maintain 170,000 acre-feet of dedicated flood storage during the storm season. The agency coordinates closely with local, state and federal agencies and weather forecasters during storm events.
Learn more about when and why Yuba Water makes releases from New Bullards Bar and how those decisions are made in this video.