Audio from Yale Climate Connections. The Yuba River snakes through Northern California, draining water that runs off the Sierra Nevada mountains. During droughts, the river’s flow slows dramatically. But in wet years, the river is prone to dangerous floods. Aikens: “And that’s why storage on the West Coast in terms of reservoirs is so important.” That’s Curt Aikens of the Yuba Water Agency. In the 1960s, the agency built the New Bullards Bar Dam. (more)