FILE: Lake Kaweah, designed to hold water for agriculture and flood control, is viewed from the Visitor Center on July 8, 2021, east of Visalia, California. The lake was formed by the Terminus Dam.

The Army Corps of Engineers suddenly opened up the dams of California’s Lake Kaweah and Lake Success over the weekend. The three day-long releases cost the two Tulare County reservoirs more than 2.2 billion gallons of water — and led to waves of ire in the state over the abrupt, Donald Trump-backed moves.

The releases lasted from Friday to Sunday, according to a joint statement from local water agencies. Both Kaweah and Success sit just west of the Sierra Nevada and help store water for the farmland of the eastern San Joaquin Valley; the agencies’ statement said the releases went toward irrigation and replenishing groundwater.

Advertisement

Article continues below this ad

But this was not a typical water release — not in its preparation, timing or stated aims. Locals hadn’t planned for the large water flows. The choice to release water in the winter, when there’s less need, confused water experts. And President Trump,

© SFGate