California has been thirsting for water for years in the midst of a historic drought, but recent rainfall brought newfound fears of flooding to local residents earlier this week. These fears turned into a very real threat for many along the Tuolumne River on Monday afternoon when Turlock Irrigation District opened one of three controlled spillway gates at Don Pedro Reservoir for the first time in 20 years due to the size and magnitude of the latest storm, which pushed the reservoir past its maximum capacity of 830 feet. TID Incident Commander Jason Hicks said that a decision was made in conjunction with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to begin spilling at 3 p.m. Monday, before the reservoir reached 830 feet.