Extreme heat has the Kings River running high and fast
FRESNO COUNTY (KFSN) -- Water is continuing to flow out of the top of Pine Flat Dam into the Kings River channel, pushing the waterway over its banks for miles downstream-- threatening homes, property, and farmland.
"It is still within its channel capacity, it's getting to the point where levee's downstream are pretty saturated," said Randy McFarland, Kings River Irrigation District.
So far the levees are holding, but there is nothing protecting the low lying Riverbend Mobile Home Park whose residents are under an evacuation order. The order is being enforced by the Fresno County Sheriff's Department.
The order doesn't mean they have to leave, but if they do, they can't go back in. Jonathen Klassen is one of five park residents who did leave and are staying at the Red Cross shelter at Reedley High School.
Crews at the Kings River Golf and Country Club are working to save the golf course from the rising water.
"We are holding the line, if you go out there and look there's fairways that have water on them, we have pumps, we've rented pumps we are pumping it back into the river and keep what damage we can to a minimum," said Steve Safarjian, Kings River Golf and Country Club.
Pine Flat Dam is more than 400 feet tall and designed to hold one million acre feet of water. It's now 97-percent full and expected to be at capacity in days.
However, the amount of water flowing into the dam from melting snow appears to be slowing, meaning the amount coming out may soon subside a little.
"It's a pretty good sign the worst is over in terms of runoff, are we out of the woods, absolutely not, we have to continue watching it, and it's a day by day thing," said McFarland.
At the Riverland RV Park, trailers that were on the river have been moved to higher ground-- sandbags are in place and emergency crews standing by.
