News Release
| Release Number: | 97-010 |
| Dated: | 1/8/1997 |
| Contact: | Heidi Y. Helwig, 503-808-4510 |
Portland, Ore-- Today, the Portland District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, will make an exception to its special water regulating rule for Lost Creek Lake on the Rogue River. Today and Friday, between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m., and 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., Corps water regulators will reduce lake water releases from 16,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) to 13,000 cfs.
The Corps has been releasing notable amounts of water from Lost Creek Lake since recent heavy rains pushed lake levels higher, using up needed flood damage reduction storage space needed for more winter weather expected during the current flood damage reduction season. However, the large releases also are keeping downstream river levels high, especially in the community of Shady Cove, located about 10 miles downstream of the lake's dam. Property holding at least 25 homes along Old Ferry Road in this community has become an "island," preventing any vehicular access to or from the homes. Decreasing the amount of water releases by 3,000 cfs will be enough of a reduction to allow folks to travel to and from their homes twice a day.
"It is rare that we violate our special regulating curves, especially when lake levels are so high," said Corps hydrologist Dick Cassidy. "It is important for us to make controlled releases from the lake to prevent even larger, uncontrolled releases, and to recover vital flood damage reduction space used after this last round of storms," he said. "However, we also feel it's important to serve these community members the best way we can. We feel comfortable making this exception."
The decision to decrease the releases for the two days will cause Lost Creek Lake levels to drop about 1 foot less than it would have by 8 p.m. on Friday if no change was made, Cassidy said. As of 6 a.m. today, 66 percent of Lost Creek Lake's flood damage reduction storage was holding water. The Corps expects to regain safe levels of flood damage reduction storage space in about eight to 10 days, he said.
Also as of 6 a.m. today, Corps water regulators were releasing 5,000 cfs from Applegate Lake on the Applegate River to manage incoming flows of 1,500 cfs, Cassidy said. The Corps expects to regain its flood damage reduction storage space there also in about four to six days, he said. Applegate Lake's flood pool capacity is 37 percent full.
The Corps strives to serve its customers--the people of the region--by balancing its project operations for a number of purposes: flood damage reduction, hydroelectric power, fisheries, irrigation, recreation, navigation and municipal and industrial needs.