Friends of the Bighorn River

Despite a full lake (and one that is 10 feet higher than average for
this time of year), inflows have dropped off sharply, and Reclamation
feels river releases must be dropped to now to conserve storage.

At 4pm on Wednesday, river releases will drop from 3,500cfs to 3,250cfs.
At 4pm on Thursday, river releases will drop from 3,250cfs to 3,000cfs.

It is worth noting that during the last four years, lake elevations on
Memorial Day have been 10+ feet higher than minimum boat launch levels
required at Horseshoe Bend, which tends to emphasize the point the
lake is being managed quite conservatively.  The fact that both
minimum probable and most probable operating plans show the SAME
minimum lake elevation of 3,618ft emphasizes the point that the water
is being managed exclusively for the lake and ignoring the river, and
that our hopes of balanced management are still a dream.

Got word from Reclamation late this afternoon that "recent streamflow measurements conducted by the USGS are slightly lower than the calculated discharges through the Afterbay control structures." 

To sync the calculated discharges with the actual discharges and produce the desired 9,550cfs, an additional 500cfs was released to the river starting at 4pm this afternoon.

So long, Mark.

You were one of us, and we'll miss you!

The USGS is beta testing a program where you can get river releases (and river stage) via your cell phone. You'll require a phone capable of text messaging, Be advised, standard text messaging charges may apply depending on your carrier's plan. Follow these simple instructions to get the latest river releases:

1.  Start a new plain text message.
2. In the To field, type:   streamail@usgs.gov
3. In the Subject field, type:  06287000
4. Hit Send

In a few moments, you'll be sent the current river release in cunic feet per second, as well as the current river stage.  Note: You can specify any stream LLID number to check flows on other rivers, too!

Enjoy!

Looks like the chance that flows would remain stable for the week was wistful thinking. While we appreciate the dynamic nature of hydrologic conditions at this time of year, we are struck by the fact that managing the reservoir with such a high lake elevation is complicating the situation, and adding worry and risk unnecessarily.

Record high snowpack in the Wind River basin and the probability of additional precipitation has necessitated additional releases from Boysen Reservoir, which in turn require additional releases from Yellowtail.

Therefore, today at 4pm, river releases will increase from 5,700cfs to 6,000cfs.
Tomorrow at 4pm, river releases will increase from 6,000cfs to 6,500cfs.

The latest word on the BIA canal is that they expect to be able to start taking water on Monday morning.

(AP Photo/Wyoming Highway Patrol)

As if Reclamation didn't have enough to worry about....

Read the Gazette article here.

More good news! This just arrived from Reclamation:

Our Wyoming Area Office has notified us that in response to recent precipitation above Boysen Reservoir, they will be increasing releases from Boysen Dam immediately to control the reservoir’s rate of fill.  Since we are approximately 10 feet from the top-of-conservation elevation at Yellowtail, we will be stepping up our releases to the Bighorn River in a similar fashion.  That means we will be increasing to 2,500 cfs on Tuesday, May 4 and then increasing to 2,750 cfs on Wednesday, May 5. 

These changes are necessary now so we can hold our current reservoir elevation and remain favorably poised to intercept the rule curve in early June. 

Reports indicate these flows will be sustained through the runoff period.

First and foremost, always carry a valid Montana fishing license, obey all local and federal regulations and stay below the high water mark at all times.

A tribal officer has the right to approach you and ascertain who you are (i.e., tribal member or not). Beyond that, if you are not a tribal member and you are below the high water mark, the tribal officer has no jurisdiction, and may not confiscate your personal property or issue you a citation. On the Bighorn River, if you are recreating below the high water mark, you do not need to hold or possess a tribal permit.

If you are confronted by a tribal officer and you are not a tribal member, state you are not a tribal member and show him identification. If asked if you have a tribal permit, indicate you are not a tribal member and not required to hold a tribal permit. If you wish, you may show your Montana license. If you are issued a citation, accept the citation if it is offered, and do not post any money or relinquish any property. Under no circumstances should an angler breach the peace.  Don't voluntarily turn over or relinquish any property, but if the tribal officer actually gets close enough to grab equipment do not resist in any way.  If anything is taken from you, request a detailed receipt signed by the officer with his badge number or other identifier.  If you are with an angling partner and have a camera - take pictures and document where the officer approached you and what transpires during the encounter.  After an encounter, write down all the details you can remember as soon as you can to preserve a record.

And please, if you are lawfully recreating on the Bighorn River below the high water mark and are confronted by a tribal officer, please report the incident to Region 5, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Billings, MT  (406) 247-2940.

Special thanks to Region 5 Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks for their assistance with this matter, as well as our good attorney friends!

The 2010 Spring Planning Meeting in Lovell didn't have many surprises. While the inflow forecast still looks pretty bleak, its much better than a month ago. In fact, Reclamation is now expecting the reservoir to fill. (Good thing you didn't bet me, Tim). The highlight of the meeting was a presentation provided by Western Area Power Administration, who clearly described the convoluted juggling act they must perform with regards to selling power and fulfilling power contracts. They really don't like spilling water not only because its so wasteful, but it robs them of the ability to take advantage of the peaking ability of Yellowtail Dam. Gordon Aycock spoke about the rule curves he's developed, and many of us were happy to see he's planned for lake elevations dropping below 3,620 during high water years. Gordon deserves a lot of credit for his honest, hard work on his rule curves.

The Issues Group meeting was abbreviated, but Reclamation did have enough time to recap the status of the three ongoing studies. Firstly, the sedimentation study being done on the south end of the lake appears to be complete. Unfortunately, there are very, very few alternatives for dealing with the silt, and certainly none that are even close to be considered economically feasible. For the first time at any of these meetings, Reclamation made mention that the day Horseshoe Bend must be abandoned is not far off. Secondly, the reservoir re-allocation study is still ongoing. This study is looking at the possibility of raising the bottom of the flood pool 3 to 5 feet. At this point, this look unlikely, but the study will continue. Lastly, the Bighorn River side channel study geomorphic study has been completed.  Its most notable discovery was that downcutting in the river was much, much less than expected, and does not play a major factor in wetting side channel habitat.  It also pointed out that debris and sediment that is being flushed at the mouths of the side-channels is acceleratingthe choking off of some side channels by promoting revegetation. This study will continue into its second phase where it begins to study hydraulics, and what flows are require to wet side-channels.

The regular monthly conference calls will continue, and increae in frequency when run-off begins.

The Bureau of Reclamation requested and held a conference call today to discuss the dire inflow forecast, and to consider further cuts to river releases.

In a letter to Reclamation before the conference call, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks fisheries biologists Ken Frazer and Mike Ruggles agreed that given the bleak and rapidly deteriorating inflow forecasts, eventual cuts in river releases will need to be made. With the releases currently at 2,500cfs, they are focusing on 2,000cfs, which is the next identified inflection point where side channel habitat is lost at an accelerated rate once river flows fall below this level.  They believe it is more important to ensure that river flows remain at or above this flow level through the spring and summer rather than try and dictate exactly when reductions should be made.  Potential impacts to the fishery and food production on the river will be essentially the same if flows are reduced to their lowest level tomorrow or in 3 weeks so it is more important to plan for long term flows rather than look at short term gains.  Since forecasting indicates river releases will eventually have to be dropped to 2,000cfs, FWP feels it would be better to drop to this level right away rather than wait and thus hopefully preempt the need to drop below 2,000cfs in the future.

According to Reclamation, should the forecast occur as predicted, the lake would fall short of filling by as much as five or ten feet. River releases would remain at 2,000cfs throughout the summer and in to the fall, and lake elevations would be dramatically lower than the previous two years heading in to winter. Minimum and maximum lake elevations requested by the Park Service would not be met. Reclamation did not that forecasts rarely materialize exactly as predicted.

While we feel the river is certainly making the lion's share of the sacrifice, Reclamation's proposed operating plan does appear to impact lake recreation.  Surprisingly, this is the first year Reclamation's Area Manager Dan Jewell has not insisted on filling the lake at all costs, and this is certainly cause for some celebration. We did reiterate to Dan that any cuts in releases below 2,000cfs would not be tolerated without significant reductions is storage. Notably absent from the conference call was any representative from the Park Service or Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. We were not able to question whether or not they have revised their lake level recommendations given the dire forecast.

Update 4:20pm:  Tomorrow morning at 8am, flows will drop from 2,500cfs to 2,325cfs; on Thursday at 8am flows will drop from 2,325cfs to 2,150cfs; and later on Thursday drop from 2,150cfs to 2,000cfs.
 

By Nancy Gaarder and Elizabeth Ahlin
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITERS
Published Friday February 19, 2010

(Excerpt)

"It's been a long, brutal winter, and people need to be prepared for widespread flooding if they live near a major river,” said Doug Clemetson, chief of hydrology for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Omaha. Clemetson said there is a high probability of moderate to major flooding in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa, and northward into Minnesota and the Dakotas. Parts of the Dakotas could see record flooding, he said. However, Clemetson and others point out that no one really knows yet just what might happen. A slow snow melt would help immeasurably. A rapid melt, accompanied by early rainstorms, could be disastrous."

Its that time of year again.  You know,  when Reclamation dangles that carrot in front of our noses and tells river users that sacrificing now will put us all in a better position come fall. The problem is the payoff never really comes unless you subscribe to Reclamation's idea of payoff is not cutting river flows to 1,500cfs or lower.  Common sense suggests that the payoff also comes when we're not seeing releases over 8,000cfs as well, and both lake and river enthusiasts share the risk equitably.

Granted, the forecast does look bleak, with only 60% of normal runoff predicted. Granted, we'd expect and understand flow reductions. Accordingly, one would imagine lake elevations to drop to minimums or below as well, right?  Wrong. Reclamation indicated today that should the current forecast hold up and, combined with cuts in river releases to 2,500cfs, the lake elevation would reach its lowest point at 3,626ft.  You heard right. 3,626ft. A full seven feet higher than last year's good water year and only 14 feet below the top of the conservation pool. I'm sure lake users are celebrating, as well they should!  Keep this up and they'll be praying for drought every year. Imagine a lake elevation of 3,626ft for Memorial Day! Those four water skiers must be estatic! I see a shrine going up in Lovell to the Twenty Foot Window.

What does this mean for the river and Western Area Power Administration (WAPA)?  It means, if conditions worsen, we'll see even sharper decreases in releases in a effort to maintain lake elevation and lower power generation revenues despite a relatively full lake. If conditions improve, we'll see high discharges, flooding, water bypassing the turbines, and millions lost in power revenues again. If conditions do come in as forecast, the river will stay at bare minimums with low power generation, while the lake fills to just shy of the top of the conservation pool. It looks like the river and WAPA are once again shouldering the risk, and will be the big losers again this year.
 

According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, today's snowpack in the region is the eighth lowest in the last 50 years. The CPC is calling this event a "strong and mature" El Nino that could last well in to spring.

While there is still opportunity to accrue snowpack, this does not bode well for neither lake interests nor river interests on the Bighorn. It is anticpated that the Bureau of Reclamation will act accordingly. Friends of the Bighorn River understands river releases may need to be reduced in the coming months, but reminds Reclamation that risks amongst recreationists must be shared equitably.

Our friend Michael Mastrangelo was injured in a recent accident, suffering seven broken ribs, a collapsed lung and multiple bruises. He's home recuperating now. Please join us in wishing Michael a very speedy recovery!

Can you identify which is Willow and which is Salt Cedar?  This time of year, the two look quite a bit alike. Same goes for Russian Olive and Buffaloberry.  Willow and Buffaloberry are native plants, and salt Cedar and Russian Olive are invasive species.

Led by Bighorn River Alliance board member Dennis Fischer, a group of approximate 12 folks surveyed the islands of the upper three miles. The group was made up of Alliance members, Doug Haacke from Magic City Fly Fishers, Ken Frazer and Mike Ruggles from Fish, Wildlife and Parks, and several NRCS and NPS experts.  It was quite a learning experience for some of us, and a big job lay clearly ahead. Nonetheless, everyone was committed to the effort and looking forward to developing a plan for eradication and getting started. A Big thanks to dennis Fischer for arranging the outing, and for his committment to this important project!

The stem on the right is Salt Cedar. Its stem is slightly more reddish in color, and the buds are smaller and more numerous.

A new dynamic hydrograph has been added to the site and will remained fixed at the top of the page throughout the fall, winter and spring. Its dynamic in the sense it reads the latest lake elevation values and displays then in near real time (24 hour lag).

The pink line is last year's hydrograph, and the gray line is the year before that. Note that both years crossed above the red line, which denotes the beginning of the exclusive flood pool. The dark blue line is the lake elevation for the current water year.  Point your mouse at any line to see a precise lake elevation for that date.

The bright green line at lake elevation 3,617 is the minimum boat launch level for Horseshoe Bend, and the light green line at lake elevation 3,590 is the minimum boat launch level at Barry's Landing.

So, slip on your dark horned-rimmed glasses, secure your pocket protector and enjoy!

Citing the water supply outlook for November, and despite the current lake elevation being the third highest on record and only 8 inches below the top of the conservation pool, Reclamation will reduce flows on the Bighorn River from 3,000cfs to 2,775cfs on Thursday.

Starting at 2pm this afternoon, river releases will be decreased from 3,300cfs to 3,000cfs.

Here are some additional photos from our friend Pat Straub:

Photo by Pat Straub

Photo by Pat Straub


Photo my Pat Straub

Photo by Nick Pentas


Photo by Doug Haacke

The first photo speaks for itself. This was a common occurence down the entire river. Most fish had been stranded by the inexplicable bump to 4,400cfs.

The second photo is particularly interesting. It was taken at the top of the first island. That large white object in the background is a buoy from the Afterbay lake. I'm no detective, but I believe for that buoy to have gotten to its resting place, it would've had to have been sucked through the sluice gate. The fact its resting at a much higher elevation tells me it happened during some seriously high flows.

Sadly, our premonition that a pattern of disregard is emerging has come true. Enough is enough.

Stay tuned.

followed by

River releases to the Bighorn River suddenly and unexpectedly jumped this afternoon, surprising local and regional anglers, guides and outfitters. Just two days ago, the Bureau of Reclamation had initiated a plan to gradually lower the Afterbay lake elevation and decrease river releases to perform some routine maintenance. Reclamation carefully planned the drawdown with Fish, Wildlife and Parks to minimize the impact on the river fishery, which had it tough this year with low flows prior to spring, extremely high flows during runoff, and an equipment malfunction which suddenly dropped flow to almost 1,000cfs. Regardless, this planning seems to be all in vain, as flows shot up from 2,000cfs to well over 4,200cfs this afternoon.

Initially, Fish, Wildlife and Parks recommended discontinuing plans to complete the Afterbay maintenance, as dropping flows from 4,400cfs to 400cfs over the course of 12 to 15 hours would severely hurt the fishery. This matter was settled when dam operators suddenly dropped flows from 4,400cfs to under 800cfs. At that point, any damage to the fishery had been done.

Latest word is that maintenance will proceed as scheduled.

Photo by Zoe Opie
 

Updated flow reduction schedule:

Oct 19 1600: 2,500cfs to 2,250cfs
Oct 20 0700: 2,250cfs to 2,000cfs
Oct 20 1900: 2,000cfs to 1,750cfs
Oct 20 2000: 1,750cfs to 1,500cfs
Oct 20 2100: -100cfs per hour to 400cfs

Oct 21 0700: 400cfs

Oct 21 ~1100: Back to 3,300cfs over 6 hours

Here's the latest flow reduction schedule:

Oct 17 0700: 3,300cfs to 2,900cfs
Oct 18 0700: 2,900cfs to 2,500cfs
Oct 19 0700: 2,500cfs to 2,250cfs
Oct 20 0700: 2,250cfs to 2,000cfs
Oct 20 1900: 2,000cfs to 1,750cfs
Oct 20 2000: 1,750cfs to 1,500cfs
Oct 20 2100: -100cfs per hour to 400cfs

Oct 21 0700: 400cfs

Oct 21 ~1100: Back to 3,300cfs over 3 hours

This came in late today from Reclamation:

Due to the cooler weather and shorter days, the heavy algae growth in the Bighorn River is beginning to decrease significantly. Power generation indicates actual releases to the Bighorn River are higher than anticipated. To adjust for the variation of flows, the following operation change is required at Yellowtail Dam and Powerplant applying a new shift of -1.47 to the river gage height.

Starting tomorrow at 2pm, releases will be increased from 2,800cfs to 3,300cfs.

Here is the flow reduction schedule required for routine inspection of the accretions in to the Afterbay.

Please keep in mind these values are subject to change. For example, flows have already been reduced to 2,800cfs.

Just prior to the event, an updated schedule will be published.

As expected, this arrived from Reclamation:

To slow the evacuation rate of storage in Bighorn Lake, the following operation change is required at Yellowtail Dam and Powerplant.

Starting Monday, flows will be reduced from 2,950cfs to 2,800cfs.

Flows in the Bighorn River will be significantly reduced over a five-day period during October to facilitate the measurement of springs below Yellowtail Dam.  Releases from the Yellowtail Afterbay Dam will be reduced in increments beginning at 7:00 am on October 17, so that by early in the morning of October 21 a flow rate of 400 cubic feet per second (cfs) will be obtained. 

Just a few minutes ago, Bighorn Lake dropped below the flood pool. The average lake elevation for September 22nd is 3,626ft, or 14 feet lower than today's elevation.

From this point forward, any drop in lake elevation will be subtracted from Dan's 20 foot window, and we all know what that means for the river.

Since the equipment malfunction a couple of months back, Reclamation is back to measuring river stage with the old equipment, which works very similar to the float valve in your toilet. Stage is the elevation of the surface of the river. The stage of the river can fluctuate for two primary reasons on the Bighorn River: 1) river releases from the Afterbay or 2) algae.  Its obvious how river releases affect stage, so let's talk about algae for a moment. As algae grows, it displaces water. For example, if you fill your bathtub half full of water and drop a brick in the tub, the water level (stage) rises, although there isn't actually any more water in the tub than before you dropped in the brick.

What happens on the Bighorn is the algae grows and displaces water causing the stage of the river to rise. The float in the gaging station right below the Afterbay detects the rise and tells the valves in the Afterbay to close. Since the stage has risen, it doesn't always look like we're losing water in the river, but we most definitely are, and sometimes it can be as high as 200 or 300cfs.  I'm sure you're wondering "Isn't somebody monitoring this?". Well, someone is monitoring this, but not always who you'd think. Often its Western Area Power Administration that notices a decrease in power generation and not Reclamation.

Just such an occurence came to light today. We were told river releases for the first two weeks in September were 3,100cfs, but in actuality, they were more like 2,900cfs.  Will the new gaging equipment help? It should, and we anxiously await its return to service.

The graph above came from a Water Resources Management Plan prepared for Bighorn Canyon National Recreation in 1996. It is interesting in that it shows hydrographs comparing river releases prior to the creation of the dam, and releases shortly after construction began. Which graph most closely resembles a 2008 or 2009 hydrograph? To see the graph full size, click here.

I couldn't help but noticed that the right side of this interesting graph still seems to be favoring lake elevations. The drought period is understandable, but what about the last two years?

Bookmark the link to this graph here for later reference.
 

Word from Fish, Wildlife and Parks fisheries manager Ken Frazer is that the accidental drawdown will have "a pretty significant impact on the upper river". We probably won't know the extent of the damage for several years. For now, we're left with these questions:

• Is a pattern of disregard emerging from Reclamation and the Park Service?
• If Reclamation is authorized by Congress to manage the reservoir for hydroelectric power, irrigation and flood control, why was there flooding this year during a normal water year?
• Would an independent audit and/or evaluation of the Reclamation's management practices result in recommendations different from current operating plans?
• Why doesn't the Park Service have a resource management plan for the river? How culpable are they regarding this issue?
• The historical 32 foot lake elevation window and shrunk to 20 feet. The end of the boat ramp at Horseshoe Bend is under 25ft of sediment. As sediment continues to accumulate at Horseshoe Bend at 4,000 tons per day, will the window continue to shrink? If so, how far?
• How high is too high? At what lake elevation will Reclamation finally decide they cannot safely operate?
• Who are these people, the lake users, that we're sacrificing so much for? How many are there? Why aren't there accurate counts of visitors?

If you run across employees of Reclamation or the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, ask them. We certainly will.

I got a disturbing email this evening from an outfitter in Ft. Smith. Below is the text of the email, and I've withheld the names until this has been investigated further:

"[My husband] and our head guide [name withheld] were guiding today.  They are reporting literally hundreds of dead rainbow fry near the corrals.  What the h--- is going on ?  The river dropped to about 1500 this afternoon and back up to 4150?  Their boats were dry docked.  One more thing.....[my husband, the other guide] and all of their clients spent their time as productively as they could...trying to return the fry to water.  Still, hundreds died."

The USGS and the Hydromet data confirm this event occuring around 12:30pm this afternoon, however the data indicates the flows dropped to 1,000cfs.

I will investigate this further Thursday morning and report back. I'm shocked Reclamation has been silent on this. Hats off to this benevolent outfitter, guide and their clients.

View the full size USGS graph here. Below is the partial Hydromet data for that time period today:

BHSX    |09JUL29|    QR   |
        | 11:00 | 3982.00 |
        | 11:00 | 3982.00 |
        | 11:15 | 3999.00 |
        | 11:15 | 3999.00 |
        | 11:30 | 3993.00 |
        | 11:30 | 3993.00 |
        | 11:45 |    0.00-|
        | 11:45 | 4005.00 |
        | 12:00 |    0.00-|
        | 12:00 | 3964.00 |
        | 12:15 |    0.00-|
        | 12:15 | 3998.00 |
        | 12:30 |    0.00-|
        | 12:30 | 3559.00 |
        | 12:45 | 1007.00 |
        | 12:45 | 1007.00 |
        | 13:00 | 2503.00 |
        | 13:00 | 2503.00 |
        | 13:15 | 4029.00 |
        | 13:15 | 4029.00 |
        | 13:30 | 4005.00 |
        | 13:30 | 4005.00 |
        | 13:45 | 3959.00 |
        | 13:45 | 3959.00 |
        | 14:00 | 4006.00 |
        | 14:00 | 4006.00 |

Friends:

    Yesterday's conference call with Reclamation was perhaps the most frustrating to date. Area Manager Dan Jewell made it crystal clear that he is managing the reservoir for lake elevation, and went so far as to define his priority as a twenty foot "window" (that window being lake elevations between 3,620 and 3,640ft as requested by the Park Service). Further, he defined "risk" as attempts to deviate from those elevations, and management of that risk would reflect in lower river releases, NOT lower lake elevations.
    Historically, lake levels have been managed with at least 32 foot window. With a larger window, storage is evacuated prior to spring runoff to avoid filling deep into the flood pool, to prevent flooding the lake camgrounds, marinas and docks, and to prevent outrageously high flows in the river. The last two years are good examples of what can happen when lake elevations are too high prior to runoff. This year, thousands and thousands of dollars were lost in flood damage; something Reclamation is authorized by Congress to avoid. Add to that thousands more dollars wasted on man-power to remove and manage driftwood on the lake, and more dollars lost to outfitters, guides and shops on the river during June and July, and you have the makings of a near catastrophe. One can only imagine the revenues lost in hydro-electric power. Keep in mind, this all happened during a normal water year!
    The management of the National Park Service's Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area has requested this window. They, the Park Service, must be held accountable along with Dan Jewell. It is time for the Park Service to recognize that the river is an important and vital component of BCNRA and deserves as much consideration, if not more, as its other visitor sites. The Park Service and Reclamation must come to grips with the realities of sacrificing a vibrant river economy to support a single lake interest that has been given a death sentence to die by siltation.
    We will continue to work with our partner organizations, advocates and politicians to find a solution to this issue. In the meantime, consider emailing the following individuals and let them know you object to the current management style and the 20 foot window.

Area Manager Dan Jewell:  djewell@gp.usbr.gov
BCNRA Superintendent Jerry Case:  Jerry_Case@nps.gov

Great news!  The new gaging equipment recently installed and calibrated at the Afterbay went online a few days ago. This equipment will provide Reclamation engineers and the public with much more reliable and accurate information regarding releases to the Bighorn canal and the river, and dispense with the confusion caused by algae vs river stage.

This site will begin using the new data immediately. On the home page, Releases (in the right column) will now reflect the actual river releases instead of the combined river and canal releases.

As always, we appreciate your comments and suggestions!

If you're wondering if PMDs are really hatching now, take a look close at this photo.

These were collected along the highway between Mallards and Two Leggins. Imagine what they were like along the river!

For the first time in months, inflows have dropped below releases and lake levels are starting to drop. It looks like runoff has peaked, and we can expect some lower river releases before long.

Today's conference call with Reclamation didn't turn up any surprises. Engineers think we're seeing that last of the runoff, and expect flows to start dropping in the next few days. The lake did hit an elevation of 3,648.01 at 4pm yesterday (8 feet in to the flood pool), but made its ways back down. Buffalo Bill has begun reducing releases, and Boysen is expected to start soon as well, as their inflows have dropped off significantly. Most of the campgrounds on the lake on Montana side are submerged, and boating is extremely hazardous. The lake posted its fourth highest elevation for June in its 40 year history.

One urgent task that needs to get completed is the re-capture phase of FWP's fish survey on the river. The initial phase was completed on time, but the big flows prevented them from performing the much needed recapture. This bi-annual survey is the only method of determining fish health, numbers and distribution. If flows are too high, small fish can't be re-captured, which pretty much invalidates any previous efforts. BOR stated they'll try to achieve releases of 9,000cfs by the middle of next week. If inflows suddenly tail off, and the big afternoon and evening thunderboomers subside, there is a slim chance this important work can be completed.

Finally, BOR said they're hoping to hold releases at 3,500cfs by the end of the month.

For readers who are curious about the fate of the island across from Three Mile access, here's a photo I took yesterday.

A few scattered details are starting to emerge about yesterday's photo sent in by guide David Palmer.

The boat went down near the Snag Hole, just below Three Mile access. According to long time guide Bob Krumm, had guide Eric Wilcox not witnessed the incident and come quickly to the boaters aid, it was only a matter of seconds before they would have drowned. While exact details aren't clear yet, it is believed the occupants attempted to drop anchor in fast water and swamped the boat.  We are reminded of Krumm's two rescues in two days last year that both could have had catastrophic outcomes if not for some quick thinking and hard rowing.

It goes without saying that the Bighorn River is fortunate to have a cadre of guides that are not only talented and superb stewards of the river, but thoughtful and concerned citizens. Hat's off to these folks that go above and beyond an already tough job!

Guides are reminding folks to navigate your boat to stay well clear of hazards (including the bank), keep the bow of the boat pointed downstream especially in fast or rough water, and not drop anchor in fast and/or deep water.

Photo by D. Palmer

According Bighorn River guide David Palmer, this is at least the fourth boat to go down in four days.

Let's be careful out there!

According to sources on and near the Bighorn River, two teenage anglers in a john boat entered the Bighorn Rapids yesterday but only their boat came out the bottom end. Apparently, the lads' boat swamped in the huge swells and sent the boys swimming. Both made it to shore in one piece, safely hitchhiked home, and were later seen celebrating their good fortune.

Guides on the river report Bighorn Rapids need special attention these days, and may not be recommended for low-sided boats. The standing waves and rollers come at the boat from all angles, so extreme caution is recommended. Novice oarsmen should remember to always keep the bow of the boat pointed downstream when entering rapids, and not let the boat travel faster than the current so as to ride the waves rather than hit them.  The higher flows are also creating obstructions in the river that may not have been present the day before. Again, novice oarsmen should keep the bow of the boat pointed directly at any obstructing or element they wish to avoid, so as to quickly and easily back row away from it.

For the latest information on fishing and river conditions, contact one of the many fine fly shops in the Ft. Smith area.

This just came from Reclamation:

"The BIA has requested an increase in diversions to the Bighorn Canal. Inflows into Bighorn Lake also continues to remain near 16,500 cfs. In response and continue slowing the rate of fill of storage in Bighorn Lake, the following operation change is required. Releases to the Bighorn River will be maintained near 12,450 cfs and maintained at rates necessary to maintain daily generation at Yellowtail powerplant near 250 MW-Hrs/day and the Afterbay level near elevation 3190."

It ain't over yet! Here's what just arrived from Reclamation:

"Recent precipitation, high elevation snowmelt runoff, and increased releases out of Boysen and Buffalo Bill Reservoirs have combined to maintain inflows to Bighorn Lake near 17,000 cfs. To slow the rate of fill of storage in Bighorn Lake, releases to the Bighorn River will be gradually increased to near 14,000 cfs and maintained at rates necessary to maintain daily generation at Yellowtail powerplant near 250 MW-Hrs/day and the Afterbay level near elevation 3190."

I'd appreciate anyone who's been on the river in the last few days to contact me, FWP or Reclamation with river, bank and habitat condition reports.

Note: The record river release of over 24,000cfs actually occurred just prior to the 1967 water year. However, the 1967 water year data is incomplete, so it is shown in 1967 for clarity.

Click here to view the graph full size.

"Afternoon thunderstorm activities, snowmelt runoff, and high releases out of Boysen and Buffalo Bill Reservoirs continue to maintain inflows to Bighorn Lake over 15,000 cfs. To slow the rate of fill of storage in Bighorn Lake, releases to the Bighorn River will be increased to near 10,000 cfs and maintained at rates necessary to maintain daily generation at Yellowtail powerplant near 250 MW-Hrs/day and the Afterbay level near elevation 3190."

Starting at 1pm today, releases to the river will increase from 9,500cfs to approximately 10,000cfs.

For those interested, the lake is currently just about a foot into the flood pool.

Bighorn Lake filled today at 2pm.

This just in from Reclamation:

"Afternoon thunderstorm activities, snowmelt runoff, and high releases out of Boysen and Buffalo Bill Reservoirs have combined for a total inflow of over 15,000 cfs into Bighorn Lake. To control the rate of fill of storage in Bighorn Lake, releases will be increased to rates necessary to maintain daily generation at Yellowtail powerplant near 250 cfs and the Afterbay level near elevation 3190. Also, recent streamflow measurements indicated actual releases are higher than anticipated. In response the following operation change is required at Yellowtail Dam and Powerplant."

The gage mentioned in the second to last sentence is one on the Shoshone managed by WY BOR.

The current river flow is 8,850cfs.

At 8am tomorrow morning, releases will increase from 8,850cfs to 9,500cfs.

Be careful out there!

 
This just arrived from Reclamation:

"Western Area Power Administation (WAPA) called and reported difficulty maintaining Yellowtail Afterbay level near elevation 3190 while maintaining generation near 250 MW-Hrs/day. Recent precipitation and increased releases out of Boysen and Buffalo Bill Reservoirs have prompted high releases out of Bighorn Lake. To maintain the Afterbay level near elevation 3190 and maintain daily generation near 250 MW-Hrs/day, vary the releases to the Bighorn River at amounts necessary to maintain stable conditions described above."

BOR is asking to "Maintain total release from the Afterbay near 8,850 cfs."

Flows should remain near 8,850cfs, but there may be intermittent periods where releases increase slightly (in the range of 150 to 200cfs).

The recent rains and increased releases out of both Buffalo Bill and Boysen reservoirs are requiring additional releases out of Yellowtail.
 
Starting today at 10:30am, releases will increase from 7,150cfs to 7,825cfs.
Later today, at 4pm, releases will again increase from 7,825cfs to 8,500cfs.

Rather surprisingly, Buffalo Bill is drafting at the present time despite being almost seven feet from filling.  Outflows exceed inflows by roughly 1,000cfs. This must make life for the engineers in the MT office interesting.

Using near real-time hydromet data, I've built a small utility that attempts to calculate on what date the lake will fill. If you're even remotely curious, take a look here. Your browser will need the free Adobe Flash Player 10 add-in to work properly.

BIA has requested a decrease in canal releases of 50cfs, and that water will be sent to the river, increasing the river flows slightly from 7,100cfs to 7,150cfs.

Updated streamflow forecasts show inflows staying near or below 13,000cfs. Therefore, to control the rate of fill, Reclamation has cancelled the water order scheduled for today at 4pm. River releases will be held at 7,100cfs and will not be increased to 7,600cfs at this time.

Even as the last water order is being executed, word has come that inflows are predicted to hit or exceed 16,000cfs this week, therefore Reclamation is bumping releases again to control the rate of fill.

Starting tomorrow (Tuesday) at 7:30am, river releases will increase from 6,600cfs to 7,100cfs. Later on Tuesday at 4pm, river releases will increase from 7,100cfs to 7,600.cfs.

Citing the precipitation over the weekend, increased releases from Buffalo Bill reservoir, and BIA requesting less flows in the canal, Reclamation will increase river releases to counter inflows.

Starting this morning, river releases will increase from 6,000cfs to 6,050cfs, followed by an increase from 6,050cfs to 6,600cfs this afternoon at 4pm.

Current estimates are the lake elevation will reach full pool by early next week.

Operators at Buffalo Bill reservoir have decided to start dumping some water, so Reclamation will follow suit starting tonight. By tomorrow evening, river releases will increase to 6,000cfs.

With this water order change coming on a Saturday, one must wonder the degree of coordination between the Wyoming and Montana offices.

With inflows remaining above 8,000cfs and precipitation in the forecast for the weekend, Reclamation will increase river releases back up to 4,500cfs starting tonight at 8pm.

BIA is requesting additional flows down the canal, raising those flows to 475cfs in the canal. BOR will take the additional water from river releases, dropping river releases to 4,300 starting at 10am on Monday. Lake levels at the time of this posting were just over 2,626ft  ( less than 14 feet below full poll) and rising.

Looks like the Bighorn canal withstood the last bump, so BIA is requesting even more water. Therefore, BOR will decrease river releases from 4,425cfs to 4,350cfs at 1pm today.

Citing increased irrigation demands, Bureau of Reclamation will decrease river releases slightly and bump up canal releases. The canal will be pretty close to capacity with this bump to 350cfs. Inflows are strong at 8,000cfs and the lake is rising steadily.

Citing increasing streamflows in the Bighorn Basin, the Bureau of Reclamation will increase river releases from 4,000cfs to 4,500cfs at 4:30pm on Tuesday, May 26.

Recent fishing reports indicate the slight increase in water temperatures has really caused the fishing to turn on. Have a safe holiday weekend!

Its tough to be an engineer at the Bureau of Reclamation this time of year. It's even harder to be one in a supervisory position. Case and point:  Bighorn Lake is just 20 feet below the top of the conservation. A massive runoff is about to begin driven by above average snowpack., God only knows what the upstream reservoir operators are planning. A weather event could turn things upside down in a hurry, and with a vengeance. Now, as if this wasn't enough fun, add in some lake interests who are complaining that the lake should be several feet higher!  Rep. Elaine Harvey stated, "We stand to lose a third of our recreation season." Ken Grant, a Lovell car and boat dealer added, "I can't see how a few more feet could make much of a difference."

I'll remind those who forgot what happened last year.  In May, river releases were cut back to absolute minimum flows, damaging the brown trout spawn. This was done for no other reason that to reach minimum boat launch level at Horseshoe Bend for Memorial Day. Memorial day came, minimum launch levels were reached. Three boats ventured out on the lake that weekend. There was no talk about losing a part of the recreation season, and lake levels were a lot lower then than they are now. Just weeks later river flows were at 10,000cfs, and client days dropped off until the flows came back to reasonable levels. Again, as Ken Frazer pointed out, this all happened with less snowpack and a much lower lake elevation.

Bob Croft of Friends of Bighorn Lake was the lone voice of reason south of the border. Like just about everyone else, he's grateful for a nearly full lake, and understands BOR will be dumping water, lots of water, in just a few short weeks to try and stay out of the flood pool. We'd all like to see no less than 3,500cfs in the river year round and a full lake, but that just simply isn't what dams are designed to do. Especially ones who's prime directives are for flood mitigation, irrigation and hydropower, and operate solely at the pleasure of Mother Nature.

Dan Jewell has to be pulling his hair out. What will it take to satisfy the folks in Lovell?  Will they ever get it through their heads that the lake can't be full 365 days a year?  Will they ever acknowledge the battle with siltation was lost years ago?

Thank you, Dan, for doing the right thing.  By doing so, the river will have some big releases as expected, but hopefully not so high as to scare away the thousands of folks planning to visit in the coming weeks. We appreciate your drawing a line where public safety is concerned. Good luck in the coming weeks!
 

This is the time of year the engineers come out of hibernation, sharpen their pencils, and get ready for May - July runoff. With unprecedented lake elevations for this time of year, plenty of snow in the mountains, and a healthy inflows forecast, its going to be fun watching runoff unfold. I've provided a link (2009 Inflows) so that you can monitor the various stations upstream of Yellowtail each day. You'll notice some stations are upstream of other stations, and its quite interesting to watch the time it takes for water to reach lower stations. Hold on to your hats, and enjoy the ride!

Montana Area Office
Billings, Montana

Media Contact:    Paula A. Holwegner (406) 247-7300        
                   
For Immediate Release

Reclamation to Conduct Tests at Yellowtail Afterbay

During the daylight hours of May 5, 6, and 7, 2009, flows in the Bighorn River will fluctuate as the Bureau of Reclamation tests new gate automation equipment at the Yellowtail Afterbay Dam.  Flow rates in the Bighorn River can be expected to vary between 1,500 cubic feet per second (cfs) and 4,500 cfs for very brief periods, during which the U. S. Geological Survey will be measuring flows in the river.  The tests are being closely coordinated with the Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks to minimize fishery impacts.  Bighorn River recreationists are cautioned to be aware of changing flow conditions during this time.

Reclamation is the largest wholesale water supplier and the second largest producer of hydroelectric power in the United States, with operations and facilities in the 17 Western States.  Its facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife benefits.  Visit our website at http://www.usbr.gov/gp/mtao/

My goodness! Its absolutely amazing what a little more water can do!


 

As anticipated, streamflows are starting to increase because of the warmer temperatures. Reclamation will increase releases to the river to begin preparing for the runoff. Starting today at 4pm, flows will increase from 3,250cfs to 3,500cfs.

With the lake at its highest level on this date since the dam was closed, with snowpack at 108%, with inflow predictions looking pretty solid, and the need for reduce the lake elevation from its current 3,627.6ft to 2,624ft for some repairs, Reclamation has decided to increase discharges to the Bighorn river starting Wednesday, April 8th.

Starting Wednesday, flows will increase from 2,450cfs to 2,750cfs.

The following day, Thursday, flows will again be increased from 2,750 to 3,000cfs.

Flows should remain at 3,000cfs or higher until runoff requires additional discharges.

As of today April 3, it looks like the BOR/USGS work at the Afterbay will NOT involve bouncing the flows around on April 14-16. Some testing may still occur, but it shouldn't affect river releases. However, check in at this site for the latest up to date information, as conditions and situations may change.

Winter lake levels have rarely been this high the first week in April, but with river releases below minimums and decent inflows, this is no surprise.

BOR's proposed operating plan shows flows of at least 2,850cfs at the end of April. However, a couple of things on the horizon may make April interesting for BOR and river users.

You've heard about the new gaging equipment they're working at the Afterbay, right? Supposedly, BOR was going to bounce flows around on April 14 and 15 to do some calibration work. Word had gone out from BOR last month that testing and calibration was to occur on April 14th and 15th. Dan Jewell is now saying nothing concrete has been scheduled, and he'll give at least two weeks noticed when something is scheduled. As soon as FOBR can figure out exactly what's going on, we'll post it.

Secondly, the dam wall is seeping, which we're told is entirely normal. The problem is that seeping water high up on the downstream side freezes and makes for some nasty, nasty icicle projectiles when they breaks loose. This problem is compounded by power lines attached to the dam, which the falling ice can easily take out. Long story short, they need to lower the lake level to just below 3,624ft to get some repair work done, and the window of opportunity grows smaller with every passing day. One would think if BOR wants to attempt repairs this spring its going to have to happen very, very soon.

Summary: As this is being written, the lake level stands at 3627.60, having risen about a half foot with a flush from Boysen several days ago. The forecast show some moisture for the month of April. BOR's proposed operating plan shows April end-of-month river discharges at 2,850cfs. Considering all this, plus the dam seepage, and the fact there's little available storage in the reservoir, one would have to assume increased releases are coming sometime this month, and probably sooner rather than later.

Looks like the calibration of the new equipment at the Afterbay may not be a go for April 14th and 15th.

I'll post just as soon as I learn more.

Just a reminder the Spring Planning Meeting and the Long Term Issues Group Meeting is this Thursday in Billings. The Reclamation website hasn't been updated with the agenda, so click here if you need one.

Hope to see you there!

As many of you are aware, Reclamation has been installing some new gaging equipment on and near the Afterbay Dam. This project has been ongoing for several years, and should greatly enhance Reclamation's ability to determine exactly how much water is being released from the Afterbay. The work is nearing completion, and now calibration of the equipment is needed before it can be fully implemented. On April 14 through 16, river releases will fluctuate anywhere from 1,500cfs to as high as 4,500cfs, and anyone planning to be on the river those days should expect flows to be irregular by as much as 3,000cfs for short periods of time and plan accordingly.

Signed on June 7, 1995, Executive Order 12962 mandates all federal agencies to work together to conserve and enhance fisheries.

Section 1. Federal Agency Duties. 

Federal agencies shall, to the extent permitted by law and where practicable, and in cooperation with States and Tribes, improve the quantity, function, sustainable productivity, and distribution of U.S. aquatic resources for increased recreational fishing opportunities by: 

(a) developing and encouraging partnerships between governments and the private sector to advance aquatic resource conservation and enhance recreational fishing opportunities;

(b) identifying recreational fishing opportunities that are limited by water quality and habitat degradation and promoting restoration to support viable, healthy, and, where feasible, self-sustaining recreational fisheries;

(c) fostering sound aquatic conservation and restoration endeavors to benefit recreational fisheries;

(d) providing access to and promoting awareness of opportunities for public participation and enjoyment of U.S. recreational fishery resources;

(e) supporting outreach programs designed to stimulate angler participation in the conservation and restoration of aquatic systems;

(f) implementing laws under their purview in a manner that will conserve, restore, and enhance aquatic systems that support recreational fisheries;

(g) establishing cost-share programs, under existing authorities, that match or exceed Federal funds with nonfederal contributions;

(h) evaluating the effects of Federally funded, permitted, or authorized actions on aquatic systems and recreational fisheries and document those effects relative to the purpose of this order; and

(i) assisting private landowners to conserve and enhance aquatic resources on their lands.

Crow Tribal Chairman Carl Venne, 62, died Sunday morning at his sister's home in Hardin. Friends of the Bighorn River wish to express their condolences to his family, friends and tribal members.

Folks, the first version of the simulator is now available. To access it, click the link "FOBR Simulator" in the upper right hand corner, or click here.

Once you've got the simulator page up, you'll find simple instructions at the bottom of the page. Make sure you have a Sep 30 starting lake elevation. Its easiest just to click the Lookup button and let the application look it up for you. Then, make sure there's a river discharge in cubic feet per second (cfs) for each month. You can select a discharge schedule from the dropdown, and then modify it, or, just type in all the values yourself.

Thanks to the Montana Area Office of Bureau of Reclamation for their help during the development of this project. A special thanks for Brian Marotz of Fish, Wildlife and Parks for his help, mentoring and timely advice.

Many of you are aware that FOBR has been working feverishly on a web-based reservoir simulation application, and we're proud to be able to give you a sneak peek at some of the results. Click the "FOBR Forecast" link or click here to have a look.

What we eventually hope to provide is a user-friendly, web-based model you can use to make your own forecasts and set your own river releases, and see how your configuration fairs with current conditions, historical events and Reclamation's own predictions, all in real time. We hope you're as surprised as we were with some of the results!

Watch for updates in the coming weeks, and feel free to email us with any comments or feedback.

The Hydromet site is working again. A big thanks to Daren Critelli of BOR for jumping right on this bright and early.

The Bureau of Reclamation's Hydromet site, from where data is pulled regarding flows on the river and other lake level information, is up, but queries aren't working. It appears to have stopped about 7:45pm Friday night. The appropriate authorities have been notified, but no response. This is the Federal Gov't after all, and it is SuperBowl weekend. Hopefully, things will be back up Monday. Until then river discharge and lake level graphs most likely won't work. 

 
My friend and counterpart, Andy Novak, who is fighting the BOR on New Mexico's San Juan River, finally was shown a little love. Andy's a great guy and absolutely dedicated to that river, and I just want to wish him congrats and ask him to keep up the great work. Take a moment and read the followng article from The Daily Times. You'll note they have half the number of angler days and hours than the Bighorn, and still figure the economic benefit from a healthy fishery to be $40 million. Way to go, Andy!

Gov. loves San Juan River:
Will introduce fishing improvement projects to Legislature

By Steve Gill For The Daily Times

Posted: 01/14/2009 10:58:22 PM MST

During his press conference at San Juan College on Wednesday, Governor Bill Richardson spoke briefly about his administration's plans to help restore the San Juan River. Richardson visited the famous fishery in October, and told the press conference crowd that he had a wonderful day on the water with his "buddies," the guides. Farmington was the first stop on the governor's sweep of the state as he outlines his initiatives for the upcoming legislative session. Nearly a dozen San Juan River fishing guides attended the conference, and listened as the governor described the San Juan as "one of the crown jewels of the Four Corners, and the state," and promised a $400,000 allocation for river restoration and river habitat improvements.

The state of New Mexico already has spent $400,000 on habitat improvement projects in the San Juan, including placing of boulders and log jams. New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Deputy Director, Robert Jenks, highlighted the fact that the San Juan is a "premier fly fishing destination" that attracts anglers from all over the world. He stated that the San Juan sees an estimated "300,000 hours of angling per year or 45,000 angler-days for an economic benefit of $40 million per year."

Jenks believes the governor's initiative will help the river by ensuring it is managed for the true value of its resources. He said future projects will be, in a broad sense, similar to previous projects and will include in-stream work, habitat enhancement and a plan for strategic water flows to help control siltation.

The San Juan is one of the most famous trout rivers in the world and often ranked among the top ten fisheries by anglers and outdoor writers. In years past, the river was regarded by many to be the best trout stream in the world, based upon the concentration of fish and above average size of San Juan rainbows. However, beginning in the mid 90s, anglers and guides began reporting a decrease in both the numbers and size of trout caught in the river, a disturbing trend that has raised concerns about habitat degradation and siltation.

Recent habitat projects and stocking programs have helped the San Juan fishery, but according to Concerned Citizens for The San Juan River Quality Trout Waters, the river is only a shadow of its former self. Andreas Novak, known as "DryFly" on various fishing message boards and online chat rooms, has spearheaded letter writing projects and meetings hoping to find support for changes in the management of the fishery. He often has cited low water flows and erosion as the main reasons for the decline of the San Juan. The Concerned Citizens and the San Juan River Guide Association are hoping Governor Richardson's involvement will help restore the river to it's glory days condition.

San Juan River guides will aid the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish in stocking 500 16-inch trout into the Quality Waters today. This stocking of fish, which are much larger than typical stockers, is the first step in the governor's program for the river.

Thursday I joined FWP's Ken Frazer and Brian Marotz along with Mark from DNRC for the trip to Lovell. The weather cooperated and the roads were excellent. We made it through Fromberg without a visit from local law enforcement this time.  Anticipation was high as the results of the sedimentation study and raising the flood pool were on the agenda. It wasn't much surprise that options regarding sedimentation were few although a number of solutions and/or band-aids were reviewed. In short, while some relief is possible, all are economically unfeasible or impossible. The study did show that higher lake levels will increase siltation in the Horseshoe Bend area and southward, while lower lake elevations will cause silt to be carried past HB. No one from Lovell seemed to favor lower lake elevations, so silt will continue to be a cancer for the south end of the lake until it eventually chokes the life from the south end of the lake. BOR's Gordon Aycock has been working with FWP's Brian Marotz to take advantage of the lessons learned on the VARQ model, and both men gave presentations that showed tremendous promise. Friends of the Bighorn River believes reservoir management based on a good set of rule curves will help take political pressure out of the equation and make life easier for all shareholders. In the afternoon, we heard some preliminary results of the study looking at raising the flood pool. While it shows promise, and BOR is optimistic the flood pool will be raised at least a few feet (if not all five feet), it will still be a while before any sort of approval comes from the Corps of Engineers. FOBR asked for two agenda items for next meeting:  1) Have a representative from BLM in Wyoming give a presentation demonstrating their efforts, if any, to help reduce sedimentation in the Bighorn Basin and 2) have BOR Area Managers Dan Jewell from Billings and John Lawson from Casper explain in detail how efforts between Yellowtail and Buffalo Bill and Boysen are coordinated.  -Doug

 
Ok, so I got carried away a little bit... There's so much interesting data out there, I just wanted to share because a lot of you have been asking for an easy way to view some of this data. Anywway, where possible, I've included historical averages, such as in the lake elevation graphs. Enjoy, and let me know if you have questions or concerns.

 
One upside to this lousy weather is that I've been stuck indoors getting some real work done. One project I wanted to tackle was coming up with a better graph showing releases for this water year, and a current flow value that didn't rely on the often inaccurate and untimely USGS value. My result now shows the mean daily releases for the entire year (water year 2009) as well as the current real time Hydromet day plot of today's current release. Have a look and see what you think. To access it, click the link in the upper right hand corner labeled "2009 Releases" or click here. With a bit of luck, I'll try and make another graph showing lake levels along with desired minimum boat launch levels, as well as the Reclamation's forecast.

 
I happened to be downtown today attending a meeting that ran late, so rather than miss the conference call, I dashed over to the BOR offices to attend in person. Many thanks to Dan, Tim, Dick, Lenny, and Tom for making me feel welcome and answering a few questions. The conference call didn't yield any surprises, as was expected. We're looking good right now heading in to the spring, and BOR is optimistic they'll make their spring lake level target elevation. The Long Term Issues Group meeting is next week, and I'll post comments on that shortly after.

 
As of today, the Bighorn Lake lake elevation is one and half feet higher than the highest lake level on record for this date. With snowpack pacing last year's levels, we're quietly optimistic.

The next Bighorn River System Issues Group meeting will be held in Lovell, WY at the local Community Service Center on Thursday, January 15, 2009. An agenda will be posted soon. Friends of Bighorn River will be there, along with a few other notables. Expected to be on the agenda are the results of two Corps of Engineer studies; one regarding sedmentation at the south end of the lake, and the other on raising the flood pool an additional five feet. Both should be most interesting. With any luck, we'll have more discussion on the VARQ model.

If you have any questions or comments, please email or call Lenny Duberstein at 406-247-7331 or lduberstein@gp.usbr.gov.

Yes, we have a new look!

In addition to a different visual layout, you'll now have the ability to monitor updates with your RSS reader.  Most modern web browser support RSS subscription, so just click the orange RSS link (below and to the right) to get started.

You'll also find the latest river releases and lake levels in the sidebar. These are updated directly from the HydroMet site and are pretty close to real time.

As always, email us with any comments or suggestions, and thanks again for being a Friend of the Bighorn River!

Click here to download the current plan.

Today, BOR increased releases from the Afterbay to 10,000cfs (400cfs to the Canal). The lake is full and were heading in to the flood pool.

Friends of the Bighorn River is urging all river users to exercise extreme caution on the river. While the fishing remains pretty dang good, lots of new hazards exist on the river, so please avoid wade fishing, and keep a sharp eye while floating.

Just to be clear, the water raging in to Bighorn Lake is the result of snowmelt. Yes, its same snowmelt that was sitting in the mountains when BOR chopped releases in May and destroyed the brown spawn. Sure, a small portion of the inflows is from rain, but even a 5th grader could have predicted we'd have no problem filling the lake. Can the fact that current river releases are almost 10,000cfs be anything other than a serious error in judgement? Is it not exactly what everyone was predicting would happen is releases were cut? Why is Dan Jewell not listening to his own engineers?  Even without the May weather event, the lake would've filled and we would've had decent releases.  This is insanity!

Memorial Day arrived to very cold temperatures, and a steady rain. Thanks to the steadfast efforts of BOR, boats could safely launch at Horseshoe Bend as the lake level was a couple of feet higher than the minimum boat launch level of 3,617ft.

Reports indicate nearly 4 boats launched at Horsehoe Bend this weekend, although reports of someone actually water skiing have not been confirmed.

Four boats. Four boats for an entire age class of brown trout. Nice job, guys. Keep up the good work. 

Today, the Bureau of Reclamation, supported by our neighbors in Lovell, Wyoming governor Dave Freudenthal and  Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area decided to reduce flows from 1,900cfs to 1,500cfs, effectively leaving most of the brown spawn high and dry.

Incredibly, with snowpack well over 115% of average, and lots and lots and lots of water on the way, BOR feels they are in danger of filling Bighorn Lake in time for Memorial Day.

To add insult to injury, its raining hard today, and forecasts indicate the rains will continue.

How much longer will BOR ask Bighorn River users to sacrifice to get lake levels back where BOR wants them? When will enough water really be enough?

In just a few weeks, runoff will begin in full force.  We'll see if BOR 's decision to conserve water was justified.