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News Release Archive
Boise River Flows Set to Increase
Media Contact:
John Redding, (208) 378-5212, jredding@usbr.gov
Brian Sauer, bsauer@usbr.gov
For Release: June 02, 2009
The Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be increasing water releases from Lucky Peak Dam and Reservoir through Wednesday to help manage spring runoff into the Boise River. The National Weather Service is forecasting 1-2 inches of rain this week in the Boise basin.
Flows will increase by 1,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) today and 1,000 cfs tomorrow. This will bring flows at the Glenwood Bridge to approximately 5,200 cfs.
Reclamation is coordinating flows with the Corps, which owns and operates Lucky Peak. Increasing river flows is necessary to make room in the reservoir system for melting snowpack and additional rainfall. Flows at the Glenwood Bridge were 3,000 cfs on Monday.
Streamflow rates at the Glenwood Bridge gauging station of 1,500 cfs or higher are generally considered unsuitable for river recreation. A flow rate of 7,000 cfs is considered flood-stage level at the Glenwood Bridge gauge.
Reclamation and the Corps discourage river recreation at this time because of cold water temperatures, higher flow velocities, and brush along the river banks.
Flows in area irrigation canals are also expected to run fast, and higher flows can saturate earthen banks, creating unstable walking surfaces. Water-soaked banks can slough off into the flowing water under the weight of people standing too close to the edge of the canals
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