Release-reduction plans announced

Plans for reducing releases out of Jamestown and Pipestem reservoirs were announced Thursday by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Due to abnormally high snow pack conditions in the basins upstream of the reservoirs, runoff into the reservoirs was much higher than normal, the corp said. Jamestown Reservoir is at a level of 1,445.3 feet mean sea level with 47 percent of the flood control storage occupied. The reservoir peaked on April 15 at a level of 1,445.7 feet above msl, which is the third highest annual peak pool level on record. Pipestem Reservoir is currently at a level of 1,474.1 feet msl with 41 percent of the flood control storage occupied. The reservoir peaked on April 14 at a level of 1,474.7 feet msl, which is the sixth highest annual peak pool level on record.

The combined release rate from the reservoirs peaked on April 6 at a rate of 1,760 cubic feet per second.

The peak daily inflow into Jamestown Reservoir was 4,800 cfs and, into Pipestem Reservoir, 2,100 cfs. Without the dams in place, the peak discharge in Jamestown would have been approximately 6,200 cfs.

As of Thursday, releases from Jamestown Reservoir were at a rate of 1,100 cfs and releases from Pipestem Reservoir were at a rate of 400 cfs, resulting in a combined release rate from the reservoirs of 1,500 cfs. Releases from the reservoirs will be gradually reduced over the next two weeks to a level of 1,200 cfs, and held at that level until late May. Releases will then be gradually reduced as the remainder of the flood control storage is evacuated. With average precipitation, all the water in the flood control storage zones will be evacuated by late July. This could take longer if abnormally high rain occurs.

Jamestown and Pipestem reservoirs are located along the James River and Pipestem Creek immediately north of Jamestown. Pipestem is a corps project and Jamestown is a Bureau of Reclamation project that is regulated by the corps when the reservoir is in the flood control zone.

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