News Release
| Release Number: | 01-101 |
| Dated: | 6/20/2001 |
| Contact: | Public Affairs Office, 503-808-4510 |
CORRECTION to news release PA 01-100, issued earlier today: Lost Creek Lake is 42 feet below full at this time. Applegate Lake is now 84 feet below full. The numbers provided in the previous news release were incorrect. Please use the information provided below.
Portland, Ore. - That old expression about "Best laid plans ....." is proving true this year as U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water regulators cope with Mother Nature's temperature and precipitation offerings in the Rogue Basin.
With current runoff into Lost Creek and Applegate reservoirs at levels normally seen only at the end of summer and into fall, the Corps has coordinated with the state and other federal agencies to rework the plan for summer water releases from those reservoirs.
At Lost Creek, which is 42 feet below full, the current water releases of 1,400 cubic feet per second (cfs) will be maintained through June, then decreased to 1,200 cfs until the first week in August when they begin to increase. By August 10, releases will be 1,800 cfs and will be held there until Sept. 10. Water supply and irrigation contract requirements will be met at those levels. The releases also will meet fisheries needs, specifically June-July requirements for juvenile steelhead and chinook currently rearing in the rivers and August-September flows for migrating adult salmon, including listed coho salmon.
Current flows into Lost Creek reservoir are 1,000 cfs and normally would be at least twice that amount in June. At Applegate reservoir, the picture is even worse.
Applegate is 84 feet below full, and inflows that would normally be 300 cfs to 400 cfs in June are a minimal 50 cfs. Water releases have been cut to 60 cfs and will be held there through June. During the rest of the summer the Corps will make minor adjustments until releases are held to about 45 cfs during September. Current plans call for flows to be boosted to 110 cfs for 10 days around mid-October, to help migrating fall chinook move up the Applegate. Existing irrigation contracts will be filled, however, the reduced storage and inflows mean that both irrigation and fisheries releases must be reduced by 76 percent over those of normal water years. Late fall and winter releases are expected to be about 65 cfs.
The new plan meets the definition of "adaptive management," said Russ Davidson, Corps hydraulic engineer. "We took into account input from May's public meetings, where we'd announced our draft plan, and worked together to modify that plan to meet authorized purposes - municipal and industrial water supply, irrigation, and fisheries enhancement - to the extent possible. Since those meetings, new forecasts, observed flows and the fact we were able to "bank" some water in May has changed the outlook. That means we've had to juggle outflows throughout the season."
The Corps coordinated the water release changes with the Oregon Water Resources Department, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which handles the irrigation contracts.