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City manager warns of high snowpack and rising Crooked River flows; Prineville Reservoir rising toward full
Summary
City staff reported high snowpack and elevated flows into Prineville Reservoir; outflows were increased and the reservoir could fill in about 10 days at current rates, staff said.
City Manager Forrester and staff briefed the council on water operations and river flows, reporting higher-than-normal snowpack and elevated inflows to Prineville Reservoir.
Forrester said roughly 8,200 cubic feet per second (CFS) was flowing into Prineville Reservoir at the recent peak and that staff had increased downstream releases from the dam to about 2,500 CFS to manage reservoir levels. He said the reservoir’s inflows had peaked and were beginning to decline slightly; at the observed rate he estimated the reservoir could be full in about 10 days.
Forrester said the Ochocos had about 160% of average snowpack and an 18-inch snow-water-equivalent reading high in the watershed; he noted that 10 inches of snow-water-equivalent at those elevations is enough to fill the reservoir. He also said flows on Ochoco Creek had been raised and that flows above roughly 400 CFS on Ochoco Creek could cause problems for nearby properties.
Staff said they were in regular contact with the Bureau of Reclamation and Ochsco Irrigation District and that the city was taking conservative operational steps. Councilors were informed that, if managed well, the higher inflows could result in full reservoirs for summer season uses but also could prolong high-flow conditions at Meadowlakes and other creek corridors.
