Thursday March 21, 2024
KRCR —
Officials at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area say the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Bureau), in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries, will be increasing the volume of water being released through the Whiskeytown Dam to enhance the salmon habitat in Lower Clear Creek.
The Bureau says the simulated flood, called a “pulse flow,” allows high water to push gravel downstream and help advance recovery of threatened Central Valley spring-run Chinook salmon by stimulating habitat formation. Parks officials say the high water flow also mimics the natural cycle of Clear Creek and attracts fish into the creek to spawn. Before the construction of Whiskeytown Dam, officials say the stream generally ran higher in winter and early spring due to winter rains and snowmelt upstream.
According to the USFS, Lower Clear Creek will increase from its normal flow rate of 200 cubic feet per second (cf) to 840 cfs on March 22. They will begin reducing flow on March 26, with Lower Clear Creek dropping back down to its normal 200 cfs by April 4.