Lower Mountain Fork River Foundation

4-29-09 UPDATE

The Spillway gates are lowered to 88 cfs.

Evening Hole - Much of its vegetation was removed and some of the silt is gone as well.  More gravel was added at the upper end.  Minimum damage.

Lost Creek - Minimum damage.

The Bluff area looks much better as a lot of the silt was removed and the gravel looks good.

Spillway Creek - Update Pending

The fish population is lower, but the stocking will resume on Thursday, May 1.  The ODWC did not stock trout on April 17 due to high water conditions, but those amounts will be made up in the upcoming 2-3 stockings.
 

4-28-08 UPDATE

The Spillway Gates are finally closing. The new gate discharge was 88 CFS, with 1 low flow valve open at 12%.

At 11:00 the lake level was 612.90. We will post more updates on Tuesday.
 

4-22-08 UPDATE

The lake level today at 3:00 p.m. shows to be 617.91 feet. Releases remain the same. The "UNOFFICIAL" best guess is that the USACE plans to close the Spillway flood gates once the lake level reaches 615 feet. Again, this is unofficial, but a lot of you would like to have some idea. This seems to be the best we can hope for at this time.

Should we get more information on this, we will pass it along.
 

4-18-08 UPDATE

The trout stream is officially "open"; however, fishable water is basically the Cold Hole and Lost Creek. As soon as the lake releases change, we will post that update. This is the latest information from the Corps of Engineers:

Lake Notice - Broken Bow Lake

Flood Advisory- Update: April 18, 2008 @ 8:00am
Lake level information: Normal summer pool elevation: 603.50 Current pool elevation: 621.58

The recent rainfall that has occurred in the watershed has resulted in the pool elevation of Broken Bow rising to the highest level since impoundment. Operations at Broken Bow have been scaled back but are continuing to ensure that the combined structures that make up Broken Bow operate as they were designed. This observation is part of the routine flood control operations of the lake. The structures are operating as designed and no concerns or issues have been identified.

The current release from the spillway at Broken Bow is approximately 1350 cubic feet per second (CFS). To put this into perspective- a standard release from one generator at Broken Bow is approximately 3000 CFS.

At the present time, Broken Bow lake has crested and began falling. Releases are being made from both the spillway and through the turbines at the powerhouse. This flow release combined with runoff downstream is resulting in a flow of approximately 7400 CFS at the re-regulation dam. This flow is well below flood stage limits on the Mountain Fork River and is anticipated to continue for several days to reduce the elevation of Broken Bow lake.

This notice will be updated as appropriate throughout this flood event. Should you wish to speak to a representative of the Corps of Engineers regarding flood information- Please contact the Pine Creek Lake Office at 580-933-4239.

Update: At present, all boat ramps on Broken Bow Lake are closed due to flooding. The first boat ramp anticipated to be available will be when the lake reaches elevation 620.00. Boat ramp and other facility information will be updated as it is received from Beavers Bend State Park officials. For recreation area, campsite or boat ramp availability- please contact the Beavers Bend State Parks office at 580-494-6452.

"Why are boaters not allowed to launch from roadways?" seems to be a common question asked by anxious boaters who wish to pursue their fishing/boating hobbies. The reason has to do with infrastructure protection. As asphalt roadway bases are inundated from floodwater the protective nature of the asphalt is minimized. Similar to what you would experience in your saturated front yard as you rock back and forth from one foot to another causes your feet to sink, the same event occurs with repeated boat trailers traversing the same track. This results in a failure of the road base and the resulting humps, bumps and potholes to form. By keeping traffic off the roadways until the base has sufficiently dried, we are protecting the asphalt surface from damage. With reduced funding available for roadway repairs, short term exclusions from roadway use have positive long term effects.
 

4-14-08 UPDATE - Spillway Creek Running Really Fast

           

4-13-08 Update

                      

4-11-08 Update

Even though the lake level is still high and the flood gates are still open, Beavers Bend is allowing us back on to the trout stream. Water is high and muddy, but some fishermen have been successful.

                      
                                                                                    SPILLWAY CREEK

         
                                 COLD HOLE                                                                          LOST CREEK

        
                                 LOST CREEK                                                                   EVENING HOLE  

EVENING HOLE

4-10-08 Update
 

Beavers Bend Park Director Jim Miller says that for the next eight hours lake levels will be monitored and a decision will be made regarding the flow of the Spillway flood gates.  The park and trout stream remain closed at this time.