Lakes continue to see high inflow

Posted 7/19/11

Cindy Norum, a National Park Service employee at the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, said Monday morning that she had crossed the causeway Sunday evening, and high wind was sending spray over the causeway. The road was wet, Norum said, and …

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Lakes continue to see high inflow

Posted

Big Horn Lake continued to rise slowly over the weekend, and Monday morning had reached a surface elevation of more than 3,653 feet above sea level, about 3.5 feet from the top of the flood pool.

The Bureau of Reclamation Montana office has forecast that the lake would likely reach 3,654 feet during the current run-off.

Cindy Norum, a National Park Service employee at the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, said Monday morning that she had crossed the causeway Sunday evening, and high wind was sending spray over the causeway. The road was wet, Norum said, and there was some debris on the roadway.

Norum added that streams she had observed while driving over the Big Horn Mountains were still high, and there is still unmelted snow in many places.

Inflow into the reservoir was still high at 15,386 cubic feet per second Sunday, while the Bureau of Reclamation is releasing 11,257 cfs through Yellowtail Dam.

Much of the inflow coming into the lake is due to releases from Buffalo Bill and Boysen reservoirs. The water level at Boysen has reached nearly 4,728 feet above sea level, and on Sunday releases were identical to inflows at 6,627.5 cfs. While the reservoir has risen into its flood pool allotment, it is more than 9 feet below its maximum level.

Statewide, the National Weather Service reported over the weekend that all major rivers in Wyoming are now below flood stage, but high water levels are expected to continue.

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