News Release
| Release Number: | 03-038 |
| Dated: | 3/25/2003 |
| Contact: | Matt Rabe, 503-808-4510 |
Portland, Ore.-The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in April will host a series of public meetings to outline water management operations for 13 reservoirs in the Willamette Valley.
The meetings will be held April 1 at the Eugene City Hall, 777 Pearl St.; April 2 at the Sweet Home High School auditorium, 1641 Long St.; April 3 at Salem's Central Library in the Loucks Auditorium, 585 Liberty St. SE; and April 9 at the Detroit Lake Charter School, 345 Santiam Ave. All meetings will begin at 7 p.m.
Corps water managers will describe some of the planned adjustments, as well as present forecasts about projected reservoir levels and downstream flows for the summer at a series of public meetings.
"We want to be upfront about some of the upcoming changes so people can plan their summers accordingly," said Matt Rea, coordinator for the Willamette Valley. "We realize Willamette Valley reservoirs are prime summer recreation spots. It's frustrating for us to not be able to meet the needs of all our customers all the time, but we are dependent on Mother Nature."
Earlier this winter, drier than normal conditions made it appear likely that the Corps would have difficulty filling the Willamette Valley reservoirs. Higher than normal precipitation in March has improved the situation.
All of the reservoirs are now filling on schedule and it appears many, especially the most popular lakes for recreation, will be full in time for the start of the summer recreation season.
However, snow pack in the Cascades remains low, at approximately 50 percent of normal. The Corps is concerned that once the normal summer dry period begins and the snow has melted off, managers will have difficulty keeping the reservoirs full while maintaining downstream flows in the rivers.
The NOAA Fisheries and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife have asked the Corps to maintain minimum instream flows in the Willamette mainstem and tributaries from April 1 through June 15 to protect migrating endangered steelhead and salmon. Later in the summer and fall, the Corps augments natural flows with releases from reservoirs to maintaining water quality, protect aquatic species, and meet downstream needs for irrigation and municipal water supplies.
In response to the lower than normal water supply forecast the Corps expects to make continual adjustments this spring and summer to affect lake elevations and downstream flows, said Rea.
Despite the forecast, Rea said he has a guarded optimism that recreationists in the Willamette Valley will be able to enjoy their favorite reservoirs this summer, but realizes the "wet weather we've had lately may not be enough to allow us to keep all the reservoirs full all summer long. It is still our intent to capture as much rainfall as possible in our reservoirs to provide for recreation as well as allow the Corps to meet its downstream flow requirements for fisheries and other purposes," he said.
While the public meetings provide a forum to discuss some of the nuts and bolts of the Corps' water management plans, the Corps will use the meetings, especially in Eugene, to briefly discuss monitoring work underway at Fern Ridge Dam on the Long Tom River.
Engineers and geologists have been monitoring several depressions on the downstream face of Fern Ridge Dam and believe a possible cause is deterioration of the drainage system within the 60-year-old dam. The Corps has launched a monitoring and investigation effort to verify the cause of the depressions and to determine possible remedial actions. None of the conditions observed indicate that the integrity of Fern Ridge Dam is in danger.
The Corps coordinates a delicate balancing act when managing its multiple purpose projects. In the summer, two of the most prevalent competing needs are recreation and water quality. Other authorized purposes the Corps balances include fisheries, flood damage reduction, hydroelectric power production, irrigation, navigation, and municipal and industrial needs.
Final water management plans are based on water runoff forecasts and on recommendations from state and federal agencies, including: NOAA Fisheries, the U.S. Forest Service, the Oregon Water Resources Department, ODFW, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the Oregon State Marine Board.
Real time data about each of the Willamette Valley reservoirs can be viewed on the Corps' Internet site at https://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/pa/river.htm .