Fishtale,

It's not just the Green, it's happening on a lot of rivers. I heard from the Corps (operators of Howard Hanson Dam) yesterday, and they are augmenting the low flows very slightly with the little storage they have left. That will run out in about 4 days, and then they will pass only inflow, so flows could drop more unless this rain improves the water supply. Tacoma Water is only taking half their allocatiion and getting the rest of their water from well fields to help the Green R. out during this drought.

Chum redds are dewatered on the Skagit. Chinook redds are dewatered on the Hoh. So far the storage dams on the upper Skagit, the Cowlitz, and Lewis have enough water to incubate salmon redds all the way to emergence.

Three weeks of higher water in November was kind of a cruel blow by tricking salmon to spawn higher on the gravel bars than would be sustained by subsequent incubation flows. It is true that eggs can survive for a while if they remain moist in the gravel. But that also requires that we not have freezing weather which would kill the eggs.

Sometimes nature is generous, sometimes not.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.