Water is still for fighting in Wyoming.
The state and Bureau of Reclamation announced on Tuesday that a deal had been crafted after weeks of negotiations to keep minimum water flows in the Snake River below Jackson Lake Dam.
This after the Wyoming Game and Fish Department announced in a press release last week that the Bureau planned to cut flows from Jackson Lake to 50 cubic feet per second on the upper river. WGFD said a minimum of 280 cfs is needed to avoid killing fish in the stretch of water that runs through the scenic and much photographed Oxbow Bend section of Grand Teton National Park.
To ensure the fisheries’ survival, WGFD agreed to use its water allocation in the lake to keep the releases at 280 cfs. Initially, the agency said its 33,000 acre feet of water would run out before the Bureau of Reclamation planned to increase its flows. In the agreement announced Tuesday, WGFD said the Bureau has decided to cover any shortfalls to maintain the minimum flows.
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The 4.5-mile stretch of river below the dam is critical habitat for Snake River cutthroat trout, shore birds, wildlife and the bluehead sucker — a species of greatest conservation need, WGFD noted.
“This stretch of river is iconic and a national treasure,” said Wyoming Game and Fish Director Brian Nesvik in a statement. “I appreciate the Bureau of Reclamation’s efforts to work with us to find solutions to address our concerns. We look forward to working together to examine water operations and ensure water flows are maintained year-long.”
Why?
The Bureau of Reclamation wanted outflows from Jackson Lake cut to raise the water level in Jackson Lake while reducing inflows to Palisade Reservoir and other dam impoundments downstream. WGFD called the change in flows “drastic” and with “extremely short notice.”
The Snake River below the dam was designated a Wild and Scenic River in 2009. The conservation group American Rivers stepped into the fray, urging the Bureau’s leadership to compromise.
“I conveyed to the Bureau in no uncertain terms that the Snake River in Grand Teton National Park is a globally significant treasure, and reducing flows out of Jackson Lake Dam to a trickle when it should be at peak flood stage is totally unacceptable due to the profound negative ecological and economic impacts it would have,” said Scott Bosse, Northern Rockies Regional Director of American Rivers. “While the Bureau is maintaining flows at 280 cubic feet per second and has no immediate plans to reduce flows below that level, normal flood flows on that reach of the Snake River should be at least 10 times that level in order to sustain healthy fish and wildlife habitat. I appreciate that they listened to what I had to say, and they seem to understand the importance of the upper Snake River to Jackson Hole’s tourism-based economy.”
Drought
In the summer of 2021, Jackson Lake hit a historically low water level as the Bureau worked to meet downstream irrigation needs during an extended drought. As of Tuesday, the lake was filled to an elevation of 6,746 feet, about 36% of its total capacity. For much of 2021, the lake was 8 to 9 feet lower and last year hovered around 6,739 feet, or 7 feet lower.
Under the 1949 Snake River Compact, Wyoming only has rights to 4% of the river’s water while Idaho claims the other 96%.
“The Bureau gets stuck thinking about their irrigators, not Jackson,” Bosse said. “I reminded them the public in Jackson Hole is very concerned when they look up at all of the snow in the mountains and the Bureau says they have to cut flows to a bare minimum.”
Atypical
A request to Grand Teton National Park for information on the Park Service’s stance regarding the water fight was referred to headquarters in Washington, D.C. Park Superintendent Chip Jenkins is quoted in WGFD’s press release as praising the water deal.
“We appreciate the State of Wyoming and the Bureau of Reclamation’s joint efforts to ensure minimum flows from Jackson Lake Dam to protect these resources and experiences.”
According to WGFD, the BOR recommended cuts to flows out of Jackson Lake due to “atypical snowpack conditions” in the region and an “effort to store water and reduce flood risks downstream.” The agency said Palisades Reservoir, which is 58% full and the next impoundment downstream from Jackson Lake, is “expected to reach flood management maximums soon.”
The Snake River’s flow at Moose, Wyoming, about 20 miles downstream from Jackson Lake, was 4,290 cfs. By the time the river reaches Alpine, Wyoming, just above Palisades Reservoir 70 miles downstream, the river was running at 5,970 cfs, demonstrating the amount of water that comes from sources other than Jackson Lake. Yet just below the lake about 5 miles, near Moran, Wyoming, the river was running at 285 cfs.
“Managing water in the West in light of changing hydrology requires adapting to dynamic water conditions,” Reclamation Regional Director Jennifer Carrington said in the WGFD press release. “We appreciate our partners and remain committed to working with them on collaborative solutions as we attempt to balance the water needs of interests upstream and down.”
Missoula paddleboarder Mike Richardson talks about his lightweight tent as he sets it up in Miles City.
