News Release
| Release Number: | 01-63b |
| Dated: | 5/9/2001 |
| Contact: | Heidi Y. Helwig, 503-808-4510 |
Portland, Ore.- Managing limited water in the Rogue River Basin continues to be a challenge-this year rain and snowpack levels in the Rogue River watershed are among the lowest on record. How the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposes to deal with this shortage for the summer and fall 2001 seasons is the subject of two public meetings later this month.
The first meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 21, at the Reston Hotel, 2300 Crater Lake Highway in Medford, Ore. The second meeting will be at 7 p.m., on Tuesday, May 22, in the Gold Beach City Council Chambers at 29592 Ellensburg Avenue in Gold Beach.
While a cool, wet spring has helped, the Applegate Reservoir on the Applegate River and Lost Creek Reservoir on the Rogue River will not fill. Lost Creek will be about 20 feet short of filling while Applegate will be about 80 feet short of full.
Those who may be most affected by the low water and the Corps' adopted release plans are irrigators, river guides, sport anglers, boaters and rafters. Russ Davidson, Corps hydraulic engineer, said he is hopeful members of these user groups attend the meetings and provide their comments and/or recommendations. Any information provided at the meetings will be considered before the final water management plans are released in June, Davidson said.
The Corps recently presented its proposed plans to the Rogue Basin Water Management Advisory Group. This group includes representatives from the Oregon Water Resources Department, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon State Marine Board, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service. Their comments, along with recommendations from the State of Oregon, have been incorporated into the proposed plans to be presented at the meetings.
Despite the low water, the Takelma Boat Ramp at Lost Creek Reservoir will be usable for the entire season. The Oregon State Park ramp will be usable through July. At Applegate Reservoir, the French Gulch low water ramp will be usable for the season.
Boaters and swimmers using these boat ramps should use extra caution. While the low water exposes more hazards, such as stumps, others can be hidden just below the water's surface.