03-03-2007, 02:53 AM
tomegun,
I know your question was not addressed to me but I can't help but to jump in here.
If my memory serves, American Falls is drained (typically) in any year where the snowpack approaches normal. This amounts to a level of between 3 and 10 % that will occur near the end of September (typically). In 2006, a year where snowpack was far above normal, American Falls hit a low of about 15 %.
Some of us (ironically) celebrated at how good this (15%) was. When you compare 15% to the disaster that occurs to the ecosystem at 3%, it is relatively "good".
I don't know, but have been told that agricultural users downstream (Magic Valley etc.) have the water rights and determine the flow and resultant levels. Rumor has it that some of the more greedy users sprinkle fields that don't need it, harvested or not to document how much they need and prevent future curtailments.
It could be that some of the water goes to washing the salmon and steelhead smolt down the Columbia. I personally hope that the water is used for that purpose vs. the agricultural uses. I have also seen some litigation recently about water rights downstream so we may see more bad news shortly. You know something is wrong when you see Jensen's Grove (Blackfoots city park) drained mid-summer but go to the Burley area and see water everywhere - golf course, every ditch field and pond. I even heard that they were cutting off water to new homes in Blackfoot so they could suck more downstream.
Well, at least I got to vent a little. Thanks for listening. Next we can discuss cattle grazing on the reservoir "bottoms" when it is at low level and what the source of mercury in the reservoir is.
FR
[signature]
I know your question was not addressed to me but I can't help but to jump in here.
If my memory serves, American Falls is drained (typically) in any year where the snowpack approaches normal. This amounts to a level of between 3 and 10 % that will occur near the end of September (typically). In 2006, a year where snowpack was far above normal, American Falls hit a low of about 15 %.
Some of us (ironically) celebrated at how good this (15%) was. When you compare 15% to the disaster that occurs to the ecosystem at 3%, it is relatively "good".
I don't know, but have been told that agricultural users downstream (Magic Valley etc.) have the water rights and determine the flow and resultant levels. Rumor has it that some of the more greedy users sprinkle fields that don't need it, harvested or not to document how much they need and prevent future curtailments.
It could be that some of the water goes to washing the salmon and steelhead smolt down the Columbia. I personally hope that the water is used for that purpose vs. the agricultural uses. I have also seen some litigation recently about water rights downstream so we may see more bad news shortly. You know something is wrong when you see Jensen's Grove (Blackfoots city park) drained mid-summer but go to the Burley area and see water everywhere - golf course, every ditch field and pond. I even heard that they were cutting off water to new homes in Blackfoot so they could suck more downstream.
Well, at least I got to vent a little. Thanks for listening. Next we can discuss cattle grazing on the reservoir "bottoms" when it is at low level and what the source of mercury in the reservoir is.
FR
[signature]