Army Corps of Engineers Activates Reservoir Operation Center to Manage Flooding Risk

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Los Angeles office activated its Reservoir Operations Center on Tuesday to help reduce flooding risk during the winter storms.

Van Crisostomo, chief of the operations center, said late Tuesday morning that rainfall had “not really affected our areas of operation, but we will continue to monitor in the event that changes.”

The center’s staff tracks real-time information about water levels at dams operated by the Army Corps so that they can modulate the release of water through dams based on weather conditions, Corps officials said.

Dam tenders have been deployed to the Prado, Sepulveda, Whittier Narrows, Brea and Fullerton dams to make sure they are performing properly.

While the flood risk cannot be eliminated, the effects of flooding on nearby homes and businesses can be reduced through the tenders’ efforts, Corps officials said.

Those who live near a dam or levee were urged to create a plan in case of flooding and to look into obtaining flood insurance.

The Corps’s Los Angeles district was also working to store rainwater in the Prado and Whittier Narrow dams, in light of the severe drought in California.

The center’s staff was keeping a close watch on reports from the National Weather Service.

--City News Service, photo courtesy of LA County Department of Public Works