Modernized changes to long-held operating procedures at the dams walling Lake Oroville and New Bullards Bar Reservoir in Northern California could improve flood safety for communities along the Feather and Yuba rivers. That’s the finding several agencies reached in a new report exploring the effects of using improved monitoring, weather and runoff projections to determine when and how to release water from the reservoirs. … The Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations report, a collaboration of several local and state agencies, found that timing water releases in advance of atmospheric rivers — using forecasts to predict storms’ strength and duration — could mitigate the risk of flooding downstream while improving water storage, according to the news release.

Other Lake Oroville news:

• California Department of Water Resources: News release: Flood control releases from Lake Oroville increased