Get Ready: Boise River is About to Hit an All Time Record
The highest Boise River flow in history since Lucky Peak was built is 10,000cfs. Next week the Boise River unfortunately will come close to that record high as more water is being released from Lucky Peak beginning Monday
The Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have announced that they will increase flows from Lucky Peak Dam on Monday and Tuesday of next week (May 15 and 16).
Flows through the city of Boise will increase 300 cubic feet per second (cfs) each day until the river hits approximately 9,500 cfs, which is 2500cfs above flood stage and only 500cfs below the all time record setting high of 10,000cfs.
This increase is due to a wet weather pattern forecast for the next week. The increase in releases from the reservoir system is necessary to help reduce the risk of more severe flooding later this spring.
According to the Bureau of Reclamation, a flow rate of 7,000 cfs is considered flood-stage level at the Glenwood Bridge gauge on the Boise River. At 9,500 cfs, additional sections of the Boise Greenbelt adjacent to the river will be under water, with a continuation of erosion of the river banks.
Flooding will continue to occur in at Eagle Island in Eagle, Garden City, Star, and Caldwell. Water will continue to cover portions of Warm Springs Golf Course and Municipal Park in east Boise. The water may affect some residential property near the river but should stay below the level of most residential structures. The river will spill over its banks between 45th and 47th streets in Garden City into the warehouse district.
Residents of flood-prone areas in and near Ada County are asked to keep informed of changing river, stream, and weather conditions on the National Weather Service website at http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/boi/.
The site offers flow data, weather forecasts, and flood alerts. Follow flood-response instructions issued by your local emergency management agency http://www.adacounty.id.gov/flood, and Mix 106 and mix106radio.com to keep updated on possible problems with flooding.
Ada County residents can also sign up for CodeRED emergency alerts at https://public.coderedweb.com/cne/en-US/BF01DC4DD213, or download the CodeRED mobile app from your mobile device’s app store.
Boise River reservoirs are already around 80 percent of capacity with millions more acre feet of water still in the mountains in the form of snow. For real-time Boise River flows at Reclamation facilities in the Pacific Northwest Region, visit http://www.usbr.gov/pn/hydromet/rtindex/boise.html.