Corps Hosts Info Session for Rogue River Basin Water Levels

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water managers for the Rogue River Basin will hold a virtual information session to provide an updated outlook on the summer conservation season for the basin.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and Oregon Water Resources Department—partner agencies that advise the Corps on water release needs for irrigation supply, and support to fish survival and migration, respectively—will join the Corps for the virtual information session. The public is invited to learn more about current operations, future forecasts, and potential impacts to the Rogue River Basin system.

Date:  June 14, 2023 • 9-10:30 a.m.
Link: https://usace1.webex.com/meet/kevin.b.mcallister

The Corps encourages questions but asks participants to send questions using the chat function in WebEx during call.

As of June 7, the Rogue River Basin Project’s two reservoirs are currently 92% full, system-wide reservoir storage is 8% below the rule curve and year-to-date precipitation across the Rogue was 95% of normal.

While most snow in the basin has melted, snowpack is 118% above the median due to some remaining snowpack at higher elevations. Water managers are currently releasing water to regulate downstream temperatures, which benefits spring chinook for their annual migration.

The Corps manages reservoir inflows based on a “rule curve,” which is the authorized maximum elevation on a given day to balance flood risk management and storage for other authorized purposes, such as hydropower and irrigation supply. The Corps keeps the Rogue Basin’s reservoirs lower in the winter to reduce downstream flooding and refills them in the spring to prepare for recreation and adequate flows for fish.

Portland District encourages the public to check its “teacup diagrams” before heading out to recreate. These diagrams show water elevations for Corps-managed reservoirs.

Rogue River Basin teacup diagram:
www.nwd-wc.usace.army.mil/nwp/teacup/rogue
or
pweb.crohms.org/nwp/teacup/rogue.