News Release
| Release Number: | 98-072 |
| Dated: | 9/3/1998 |
| Contact: | Matt Rabe, 503-808-4510 |
Portland, Ore. -- Boaters and swimmers will have one more weekend of 'fun in the sun' thanks to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Corps lakes throughout Oregon will remain full through the Labor Day holiday weekend.
On Tuesday, Sept. 8, reservoir regulators will begin the annual lowering of 13 lakes in the Willamette Valley, two lakes in southern Oregon's Rogue River Basin and Willow Creek Lake in eastern Oregon.
"We recognize that people will be using the lakes over the holiday weekend," said Cheryl Woodall, Corps reservoir regulator. "Because of this, we have held off lowering the lakes until after the holiday."
Each year, the Corps must have all the lakes lowered by Nov. 30 to be ready to hold fall and winter rain and runoff. The Corps lowers the lakes gradually over two months to reduce the impacts on river and lake users.
River users downstream of the dams, however, will still see a noticeable difference in river levels after the releases are increased. "Right now, the Corps is releasing only minimum flows, so the increased releases will seem dramatic, at first," said Woodall.
During the fall and winter, the dams temporarily hold back the water during storms until it is safe to release the water into downstream creeks and rivers. Without this control, heavy rains could fill rivers beyond their capacity, causing flooding. Water releases could be increased beyond the below listed amounts to compensate for increased inflows during fall storms.
Corps dams, along with a network of dikes, levees and revetments, in Oregon have prevented more than $15.8 billion in cumulative flood damages since construction began in the 1930s.
Here is the current schedule for release increases: Lake Date Increased from/to (in cubic feet per second) Blue River Willamette Basin 9/8 250 to 580 (over three days) Cottage Grove Willamette Basin 9/10 50 to 250 (over two days) Cougar Willamette Basin 10/1 Maintain 700 through September Detroit/Big Cliff Willamette Basin 9/10 1,000 to 2,500 (gradually increased over next couple of weeks) Dorena Willamette Basin 9/8 100 to 550 (over two days) Fall Creek Willamette Basin 10/1 210 through 9/30 Fern Ridge Willamette Basin 9/29 50 to 870 (over two days) Foster Willamette Basin 10/1 1,100 to 1,800 Green Peter Willamette Basin 10/1 1,100 to 1,500 Hills Creek Willamette Basin 9/8 415 to 1,300 (over two days) Lookout Point/ Dexter Willamette Basin Ongoing Maintain 2,500 Applegate Rogue Basin Ongoing Flows will be increased and decreased during the season for fish requirements. Lost Creek Rogue Basin 9/11 2,100 down to 1,100 (Flow decrease will be complete by 9/20) Willow Creek Heppner, Ore. 10/15 3 to 25 (over two days)