Possible debris in Fryinpan River

[klamb]

All,
As most of you already know, we bumped Ruedi releases up yesterday. Tomorrow morning, June 27, we will bump releases up again, twice, in 60 cfs increments, for a total increase of 120 cfs.

That means, by the afternoon tomorrow, releases from Ruedi Dam will be about 380 cfs. With contributing flows from the Rocky Fork, flows in the Fryingpan will be closer to 400 cfs.

Also, it is possible we could hit our full pool elevation this evening. We are close to filling the reservoir--good news for boaters! If that is the case, we will have the opportunity to run some water over the spillway--something we have not been able to do for several years.

Recreators: if some water does go over the spillway, there is the chance it could dislodge some of the brambles and other debris that have collected there over the past few years. There could be some debris floating down the river, as a result. We have had crews cut the branches down to lengths of 18 inches, but it would be wise to keep an eye upstream while you are fishing, just to be safe.

So, to sum up: flows in the Fryingpan will go up to around 400 cfs tomorrow morning. It is possible we might be able to send a little bit of water over the spillway as early as tonight, and also tomorrow. This could move some debris off the spillway and into the river.

I'll be in the office until 5 or 5:30 this afternoon and available on cell phone tomorrow. If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. You can reach me at (970) 215-9545 tomorrow.

Best,
Kara

[klamb]

All,
Well, after my e-mail Tuesday and all the coverage we received discussing the peak run off and our need to bump releases up to about 400 cfs, nature changed the plan. Tuesday night, inflows to Ruedi dropped down and we never had to bump up our releases to more than 300 cfs.

Today, Thursday, June 28, releases from Ruedi Dam to the Fryingpan are around 290 cfs. Before the weekend, we are anticipating that we will be able to scale back another 20 or 30 cfs, putting flows in the 'Pan around 265 cfs.

Considering the holiday next week, we also wanted to provide you all with as close to a "five day outlook" as we can. With that in mind, beginning Sunday, the diversions above Ruedi will increase, dropping inflows to Ruedi down even further. As a result, we'll be able to reduce releases from Ruedi Dam, putting somewhere around 160-180 cfs in the Fryingpan River for the week of July 4th.

That's the estimated outlook for the weekend and next week. Of course, it's all subject to change--the weather does have a mind of its own! If you have any questions, please contact me here at the office. And, I'll be sure to send another e-mail if projections change.

Have a great weekend,
Kara