News Release
| Release Number: | 08-067 |
| Dated: | 5/6/2008 |
| Contact: | Amy Echols, 503-808-4510 |
Reducing flood risks critical as snow melts, spring rains continue
PORTLAND, Ore. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is releasing more water than normal from several Willamette Valley reservoirs to make room for runoff from record-breaking snowpack combined with typical spring rain.
Releasing water for a few weeks in May will maintain storage space for spring and summer’s anticipated snowmelt. Reservoirs in the basin are already 89 percent full.
“With the May rains yet to come, we need to retain storage space behind several of our dams to reduce the risk of flooding,” stated Erik Petersen, operations manager for the Willamette Valley Project. “Managing these potential risks is a key responsibility of the Corps.”
The Corps initiated releases at Detroit, Lookout Point, Fall Creek, Cougar, Blue River and Green Peter reservoirs. With snow water equivalents averaging 285 percent above normal, the Corps anticipates spring inflows to most significantly affect these reservoirs.
Other reservoirs in the system less likely to be influenced by snowmelt will refill on their regular schedules.
Maximum conservation pools, or the highest level of storage for summer recreation, will be reached from a week to two weeks late in most cases, assuming normal runoff and rainfall. The Corps could adjust reservoir fill rates again in the case of significant rain and a warmer-than-average forecast.
“We will manage the projects to reach their maximum fill levels safely and on a schedule that allows us to best manage flood risks without negatively impacting other reservoir purposes,” stated Petersen.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates 13 dam and reservoir projects in the Willamette River drainage system. Each dam contributes to a water resource plan designed to provide flood damage reduction, power generation, irrigation, water quality improvement, fish and wildlife habitat, recreation and navigation on the Willamette River and many of its tributaries.
For more information, visit https://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/op/v/home.asp.