WSWC Webinar: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers FIRO National Screening Updates with Cary Talbot
On July 22, the WSWC hosted a webinar providing an update on the progress of Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO) Screening Program. Presenters included Cary Talbot, National Lead Engineer for the FIRO Program, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC); and Elissa Yeates, Research Hydraulic Engineer and the lead developer of the FIRO Screening Process who has overseen its application to USACE Districts across the country.
FIRO is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers research effort aimed at improving reservoir operations at USACE projects. The program equips water managers with forecast information on weather (precipitation), hydrology (discharge), and reservoir levels to support more flexible, efficient decision-making across authorized project purposes—including flood control, water supply, hydropower, recreation, and ecological benefits.
Mr. Talbot presented to WSWC members last fall during our September 2025 meetings in San Pedro, CA, where he provided an overview of the FIRO National Screening process as Stage A was wrapping up. The recording and slides for that presentation are available below. Shortly after, WSWC submitted a letter congratulating USACE on the successful completion of the Lake Mendocino Water Control Manual update at Coyote Valley Dam, which marked a historic milestone as the nation’s first fully formalized FIRO framework.
