Speaker after speaker on Tuesday noted the years long construction project to increase safety on Isabella Dam was completed this past October – just in time. With a snowpack at 422% of normal, the  reservoir is expected to hit its full capacity of 568,000 acre feet, and then some. Water content in Kern River watershed is estimated at 1.8 million acre feet, which means even at full capacity, Isabella Lake will have to empty and refill several times. Water is expected to be released from both the dam’s river valves and its spillway, possibly reaching 9,000 cubic feet per second through June and July, according to Kern River Watermaster Mark Mulkay.