Effective immediately, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office is closing the Kings River from Pine Flat Dam to the Tulare and Kings County lines.
Sheriff Margaret Mims has made this order in the best interest of public safety. This closure is permitted under the authority of Penal Code 409.5(a) and Fresno County Ordinance 13.32.080.
The decision has been made due to a large amount of melting snow in the Sierra. Pine Flat Dam is currently taking in water at a rate of approximately 10,000 cubic feet per second (cfs). The dam is also pushing out approximately 10,000 cfs into the Kings River. According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, both of these numbers are expected to increase in the coming weeks.
1 cfs = 7 1⁄2 gallons per second
This amounts to 449 gallons per minute and 646,272 gallons per day
It is important for the public to understand that access to the river is denied until further notice. This includes all recreational activity such as: Boating, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, floating, etc.
During the closure, the Sheriff’s Boating Enforcement Unit (BEU) will continue to patrol the Kings River. Deputies will strictly enforce this closure and violators will be subject to citations. This infraction comes with a minimum fine of $225.00.
It should be noted that both Tulare and Kings County have also closed its portions of the Kings River in the interest of public safety.
