Lake level is coming up fast!

[Phil Lilley]

They're saying 693.5 crest on 5/19.

[Stump bumper]

 

They're saying 693.5 crest on 5/19.

It gets to the flood gates at 695?

[Phil Lilley]

That's the top of the flood pool.  That doesn't mean that's as high as they can go though.  1.5 feet at that lake level is a lot of water but it does mean any widespread, heavy rain they have to spill - at all the lakes.  It's an ominous situation for sure.

At one time, 300,000 cfs of water was running into Table Rock 2 weeks ago.  They released 63,000.  That means they held back the difference and saved us from devastation.  But there is only so much the dams can do...  too much rain is too much rain.

 

 

[Phil Lilley]

Thinking about the flood on the North Fork of the White.  I heard 200,000 cfs on that river.  For the sake of illustration, if there was a dam at the head of the river and the initial influx of water had been delayed and held, the dam could have released less cfs on the river and lessened the impact of the event.  Granted, any dam system can't handle a huge rain like that but the flow would have been less than 200,000 cfs.