JACKSON, Wyo. — State agencies along with the Bureau of Reclamation Upper Snake Field Office are working together to maintain flows from Jackson Lake Dam, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department announced via press release, Feb. 9.
The state has reportedly decided to make available its 2023 storage water to maintain 280 cfs flows from Jackson Lake Dam this winter and spring, the minimum flow required to maintain the fishery below the dam and maintain water within the world-famous Oxbow Bend.
According to a press release from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, low snowpack above Jackson Lake and high storage contents in the upper Snake River reservoir system have led to a reservoir system imbalance, which creates the potential for storage loss to the upper Snake River system.
“It was important that we get out in front of this possible scenario early and to engage in real-time coordination with our partners to adaptively manage releases,” Jennifer Carrington, Reclamation regional director, said. “Reclamation is committed to maintaining 280 cfs outflow from Jackson this winter/spring, while working with Idaho irrigators in the upper Snake to ensure their contractual entitlements are satisfied.”
Last May, the Bureau of Reclamation announced that they would reduce flows to 50 cfs to prevent water from leaving the system and spilling over Milner Dam in southern Idaho. The state of Wyoming and the Bureau of Reclamation were able to reach an agreement before the drawdown occurred in which the state used its water account to maintain flows at 280 cfs.
According to current forecasts, there is a high likelihood of a spill past Milner Dam this season before Jackson Lake fills, Game and Fish said. “To support the fishery below Jackson Lake Dam, Wyoming has decided to exercise its water right and will call for 230 cfs of the 280 cfs Jackson outflow to be released from Wyoming’s 2023 allocation. If conditions improve in the coming weeks, however, a cease water order from Wyoming would be submitted.”
