Kootenai flow to increase |
| March 22, 2014 |
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Outflow from Libby Dam will increase Sunday,
March 23, from four kcfs to nine kcfs over three
hours, beginning at 8 p.m.. Outflow from Libby
Dam will then increase again Monday, March 24
from nine kcfs to 15 kcfs over two hours,
beginning at 6 a.m. This flow of 15 kcfs will be held through Friday March 28, and possibly several weeks longer. There is a potential that outflows could be as high as 26 kcfs sometime between now and early April to meet future required elevation targets. The March water supply forecast for April-to-August Libby inflow volume was 5505 KAF. However, March has been very wet with lots of precipitation in the basin and we already know the April water supply forecast will likely increase by 700 KAF or more. The official April water supply forecast will likely be released around April 4. The official April water supply forecast will set the April elevation requirements. This operation is to address the need of a forecast that will be increasing and require a lower elevation for Koocanusa Reservoir in April. We are currently targeting an elevation near 2,412 feet by April 10. It is possible we could be near 2400 feet at the end of April depending on the official April water supply forecast, which will set the April elevation requirements. |