Residents near Tule River on high alert as spillway runs in Tulare County

Wednesday, March 15, 2023
TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Visalia and Porterville declared a state of emergency on Tuesday as this latest storm brings more flooding concerns to the Valley.

Officials say the spillway at Lake Success is running, meaning more water is being released into the Tule River.
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Residents who live near the river in Porterville have been on high alert.

"We are going to be on standby and be cautious, loaded, and ready to go if we have to," said Ruby Guzman.

For 24 years, the Guzman family has lived in their home with the river flowing about 20 feet away from their backyard porch.

For them, seeing how high the water is and the impact it's creating around them is a first.



"We are a little higher, but my brother-in-law lives next door," said Eluterio Guzman. "It didn't really go up until they started going over the spillway."
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Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux says that Lake Kaweah in Visalia and Lake Success in Porterville are nearing capacity.

Because of that, both dam spillways are expected to be operational.

Currently, only the spillway at Lake Success is operational.

He says the county is working alongside several agencies to manage incoming rain and keep the community safe.

"We anticipate a lot of water coming in. Right now, we have close to 200 personnel across the county for emergency services, rescue operations, water diversion, road signs and crews to repair those as we can when the storm leaves," said Boudreaux
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The sheriff says the debris in the lakes is also a major concern.



The Tulare County Fire Department is actively working to clean up what they can.

If you live near a creek, officials ask you to be prepared to evacuate your home potentially.

The Porterville Fire Department is actively working to mitigate the spillway from Lake Success.

Meanwhile, the spillway at Lake Kaweah is not expected to be operational until Wednesday.

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