Flows from Flaming Gorge Dam will pick up significantly next week as the Bureau of Reclamation increases water volume out of the dam as part of its endangered species recovery operations.
   Beginning on or around Monday, the bureau will increase flows from an average of more than 818 cubic feet per second to a maximum power plant capacity of approximately 4,200 cfs for a three-week period.
   Each year the bureau times the increased flows from the power plant to the Green River to mimic the spring runoff peak of the nearby Yampa River - which flows into the Green - as a means to aid in the recovery of the river's endangered fish species.
   There are critical spawning beds in the Green River downstream of the confluence of the Green River and Yampa River. The endangered fish are now starting to spawn. By timing the power plant release to match the runoff peak of the Yampa River, the combined flows will ensure the sediment that washes downstream will not be re-deposited on the spawning bars. In addition, the high flows will carry the larval razorback suckers into flooded lowlands - historically critical nursery habitat for the fish.
   Current projections are for the Yampa River to peak at about 18,000 cfs during the last week in May. The projected peak at Jensen, Utah, from the combined flows of the Yampa and Green should reach about 23,300 cfs - flows that should meet the levels requested by the recovery
Advertisement

program.