Friends of the Bighorn River

According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, today's snowpack in the region is the eighth lowest in the last 50 years. The CPC is calling this event a "strong and mature" El Nino that could last well in to spring.

While there is still opportunity to accrue snowpack, this does not bode well for neither lake interests nor river interests on the Bighorn. It is anticpated that the Bureau of Reclamation will act accordingly. Friends of the Bighorn River understands river releases may need to be reduced in the coming months, but reminds Reclamation that risks amongst recreationists must be shared equitably.

Chesapeake Bay is the nation's largest estuary, spanning 5,000 square miles (Yellowstone Park is roughly 3,000 sq miles).

The tens of thousands of tributaries that feed the Bay dump approximately 9,000 tons of sediment in to the Bay every day¹.

In contrast, 4,000 tons of sediment dump in to the south end of Bighorn Lake every day.

¹Executive Order 13508. Draft Strategy for Protecting and Restoring the Chesapeake Bay. Nov 9, 2009. Federal Leadership Committee for Chesapeake Bay

Our friend Michael Mastrangelo was injured in a recent accident, suffering seven broken ribs, a collapsed lung and multiple bruises. He's home recuperating now. Please join us in wishing Michael a very speedy recovery!

We're told this is nothing more than a dead battery at the gaging station below Afterbay.

Can you identify which is Willow and which is Salt Cedar?  This time of year, the two look quite a bit alike. Same goes for Russian Olive and Buffaloberry.  Willow and Buffaloberry are native plants, and salt Cedar and Russian Olive are invasive species.

Led by Bighorn River Alliance board member Dennis Fischer, a group of approximate 12 folks surveyed the islands of the upper three miles. The group was made up of Alliance members, Doug Haacke from Magic City Fly Fishers, Ken Frazer and Mike Ruggles from Fish, Wildlife and Parks, and several NRCS and NPS experts.  It was quite a learning experience for some of us, and a big job lay clearly ahead. Nonetheless, everyone was committed to the effort and looking forward to developing a plan for eradication and getting started. A Big thanks to dennis Fischer for arranging the outing, and for his committment to this important project!

The stem on the right is Salt Cedar. Its stem is slightly more reddish in color, and the buds are smaller and more numerous.

A new dynamic hydrograph has been added to the site and will remained fixed at the top of the page throughout the fall, winter and spring. Its dynamic in the sense it reads the latest lake elevation values and displays then in near real time (24 hour lag).

The pink line is last year's hydrograph, and the gray line is the year before that. Note that both years crossed above the red line, which denotes the beginning of the exclusive flood pool. The dark blue line is the lake elevation for the current water year.  Point your mouse at any line to see a precise lake elevation for that date.

The bright green line at lake elevation 3,617 is the minimum boat launch level for Horseshoe Bend, and the light green line at lake elevation 3,590 is the minimum boat launch level at Barry's Landing.

So, slip on your dark horned-rimmed glasses, secure your pocket protector and enjoy!

Citing the water supply outlook for November, and despite the current lake elevation being the third highest on record and only 8 inches below the top of the conservation pool, Reclamation will reduce flows on the Bighorn River from 3,000cfs to 2,775cfs on Thursday.

The elevation of Bighorn Lake for November 1st was only twice higher than today's elevation; once in 1982 and once in 1992, making today's lake elevation of 3639.35 the third highest on record.

Graph updated by Bob Gibson

Our good friend Bob Gibson over at FWP sent along this excellent graph he modified from USGS data. The blue line indicates the flows as they occurred last week.  Bob overlayed the red line which indicates the planned releases that were developed by FWP and Reclamation.  There's lots to marvel and speculate about, that's for sure. That measured discharge at just under 300cfs is scary.  While I'm sure there's no connection, didn't this happen about the same time those Northwest pilots were overflying Minneapolis?

The word is that Reclamation has formed an investigative team and will release a preliminary report soon.

Starting at 2pm this afternoon, river releases will be decreased from 3,300cfs to 3,000cfs.

BAUCUS DEMANDS INVESTIGATION OVER BIGHORN RIVER MISMANAGEMENT

Senator Wants Answers for Bureau of Reclamations Continual Failings

 (Washington, D.C.) – Citing a “pattern of disregard,” Montana’s senior U.S. Senator Max Baucus today demanded a high-level investigation into Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) management of the Bighorn River and Yellowtail Dam.

 In a firmly worded letter to the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for Department of the Interior, Baucus laid out case after case of major blunders by the Bureau, including two recent incidents that severely damaged fish numbers in the Bighorn River. The OIG is an independent, investigative arm of the federal government.

 “It is clear that better coordination on the entire length of the system would have prevented many of the impacts of these damaging events. I would like your office to conduct an investigation into the overall management of the Bighorn River System, specifically investigating the operation of the Yellowtail Dam in coordination with all the dams on the river,” Baucus wrote to Mary Kendall, the acting OIG for the Department of Interior.

 Baucus warned further bungled operations could permanently damage the river.

 “The Bighorn is a prize for Montana; and for inept bureaucrats to put it at risk is unacceptable at best and downright reckless at worst,” Baucus said. “Montanans demand answers for these continual failings and we are going to get them. We cannot afford another big mistake.”

 Baucus has been a stalwart ally of the Bighorn River, continually fighting to make sure it’s protected. He has been an outspoken critic of the BOR’s management of Yellowtail Dam and has led the charge to increase flows in the river.

 According to the Department of the Interior, The Office of the Inspector General is designed to “promote excellence, integrity and accountability in the programs, operations, and management of the Department of the Interior.”

Click here for the full text of Senator Baucus letter to OIG.

Here are some additional photos from our friend Pat Straub:

Photo by Pat Straub

Photo by Pat Straub


Photo my Pat Straub