Arkansas River 2009/10 winter flows

[danger]

below is a repost that i went looking for. it was a little hard to find so i reposted it w/ a better search title.

from Mike Harvey

"A flow update fer ya'...the BOR is moving 65,000af this winter through the upper ark and the DOW has asked them to move all of it after the spawn and before the emergence.

So on 11/15 the BOR is going to start releasing 400cfs which will put flows around 650 or so in Wellsville and that will last until the move the water, the estimate I heard was March 1 or so. Not ideal, but you can plan some winter boating if we get warm days and expect water on the Ark for the next few months."

[GoodTimes]

That's pretty dang good....if the Gorge doesn't freeze too quickly....

[Theophilus]

Keep your eye on the Wellsville Gage ----> LINK

[JDHOG72]

so humor me...does that mean 400 for pinecreek/#'s starting on 11/15?

[Dave Frank]

400+whatever was natural. the only gauge I'm seeing now says 359 at Salida.

this will more than double natural flows.

[cadster]

There's a year around gage at Granite to which you can add Clear Creek for PC/#'s flow. I imagine that ice might make these incorrect as winter sets in.

Granite:
Detail Graph

Clear Creek:
Detail Graph

[class 3 felon]

I'm gonna head out there in a couple weeks to drap a bunch of blue tarps tied together across the river by that wire near the Wellsville gauge just to get everyone ready for that Cristo Jackass. Love slaying tiny trout on the Ark in the winter. Time to start shoveling out the trailer.

[BrianK]

what's better 400+ in pine creek/numbers or 600+ in the royal gorge

[lmyers]

Originally Posted by cadster

There's a year around gage at Granite to which you can add Clear Creek for PC/#'s flow. I imagine that ice might make these incorrect as winter sets in.

Granite:
Detail Graph

Clear Creek:
Detail Graph

You also have to add Lake Creek into this for a correct flow. Right now Granite Gauge = 145 + CC (1 + LC (40) = 203 cfs for Pine Creek and Numbers.

The Salida gauge can also be highly inaccurate for downriver runs because there is a lot of irrigation water pulled-out and some returned just above and below the gauging station.

When the other gauges are shut down I have found it best to take the Wellsville gauge (452) and subtract the South Ark (60) = 392 for flows in Browns down to Salida (the salida gauge reads an inaccurate 33, and use the Wellsville gauge for Parkdale.

All gauges for each watershed basin in the state can be found here: Division

[Buckrodgers]

Originally Posted by BrianK

what's better 400+ in pine creek/numbers or 600+ in the royal gorge

That's like comparing apples and oranges. Or PBR and High Life. Both are delicious, but different. Gorge is warmer though...