The
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will issue its draft Rogue Basin summer water
management plan next week for public review and comment.
The
draft “Rogue River Basin Project
Conservation Release Season Operating Plan” identifies Rogue and
Applegate river flow requirements and Lost Creek and Applegate reservoir
storage for the May through October conservation season.
The
Corps will explain the draft plan on a conference call and Web meeting Wednesday,
May 25 at 10 a.m. The public is welcome to listen in by calling 877-810-9415 and
entering access and security codes 6360028 when prompted. Presentations
accompanying the call can be viewed at https://www.webmeeting.att.com, meeting number
877-810-9415, access code 6360028.
The
call is a regularly-scheduled interagency work session; public questions and
comments will not be addressed at that time. The draft plan will be posted for
public review at http://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/Locations/RogueRiver.aspx. Questions and comments about the draft plan
can be directed by email to Rogue Basin Regulator Alan Donner at alan.d.donner@usace.army.mil through June 10.
The
Corps works with a variety of federal and state environmental protection, fish
and wildlife, and water resource agencies to develop its annual water
management plan. Initial discussions start in February.
February’s
discussions and recommendations are followed by preliminary reservoir refill
projections in March, and draft water release recommendations in April. The
process is continually informed by updated snowpack and water supply forecasts.
Although the release plan is usually considered
final
in early June, it is continuously
updated through the summer as conditions change.
William
L. Jess and Applegate dams contribute to a water resource management system
that provides flood damage reduction, fish and wildlife enhancement,
irrigation, municipal and industrial water supply, power generation, water
quality improvement and recreation. For more information, visit http://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/Locations/RogueRiver.aspx.
Release no. 16-022