Cow Flows???

ok.. mebee I'm just a little slow or missed a post somewhere.. but.. does anyone know why Mayfield damn has the clamps on the Litz??? 6000 CFS.. Jesus!!

Just curious...

You called

To much water....not enough..... oh wait just right..... water fluctuations are typical for the Cow. My experience is to learn it at all levels making fluctuations a non issue!

FJ...out.

This started out as a dry fall, Riffe Lake was extremely low, and I believe Tacoma was concerned about having a second dry winter in a row. Power prices were low, and I suspect they contracted for a good share of cheap power. They can call in the "cheap megawatts" now, since they would have to pay for it anyway, and store water in Riffe, helping to make their power supply system whole again. I'm not an energy industry expert, but I do keep an eye on it.

6kcfs is probably close to a normal natural winter flow in the Cowlitz near Mayfield. The 12 to 14kcfs is entirely unnatural, except for short spates or freshets that would typically last just a few days.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

Based on 64 years of data the average for the Cowlitz below Mayfield is around 9,000 so it's on the low side right now. With the last 10 days of pretty dry weather they're letting enough water through to supply power needs while conserving water to assure a full lake (and steady power supply) come summertime. The Cow system needs rain now just like most other systems. There's a fine line for water/power managers to maintain adequate lake levels for future power use versus over filling Riffe Lake just in time for a giant storm and risking flooding.