From Water Education Foundation’s Western Water Notebook – Many of California’s watersheds are notoriously flashy – swerving from below-average flows to jarring flood conditions in quick order. The state needs all the water it can get from storms, but current flood management guidelines are strict and unyielding, requiring reservoirs to dump water each winter to make space for flood flows that may not come. However, new tools and operating methods are emerging that could lead the way to a redefined system that improves both water supply and flood protection capabilities. (more)