Flaming Gorge Technical Working Group

May 28, 2013, 10:00 am

Conference Call Record 

Attending:

Reclamation: Heather Hermansen, Malcolm Wilson, Dave Speas, Peter Crookston

Fish and Wildlife Service: Amadeus Guy, Dave Schnoor

Western Area Power Administration: Jerry Wilhite, Clayton Palmer

Argonne National Laboratories: Kirk LaGory

Recovery Program: Tom Chart, Kevin Bestgen

UDWR: Matt Breen

Agenda:

• Hydrology in the Yampa Rivers

• Larval sampling update

• Schedule next call

Hydrology: 

Heather Hermansen reported that the Yampa River forecast had decreased from yesterday. It looked 

like the Yampa River might provide flows above 8,300 cfs on Wednesday, but the new forecast is for 

flows steady between 7,000 cfs to 7,500 cfs. The Yampa River forecast this morning shows flows at 

Jensen reaching a peak of 11,600 cfs on Saturday, June 1. Current operations are for Flaming Gorge 

releases at power plant capacity for seven days but no more than 14 days in accordance with the 

moderately dry duration target. The Yampa River forecast decreases early next week and with another 

slight increase around June 6. Snow remains in the Yampa River Basin. Tower currently has 25 inches of 

SWE, Old Battle has 19.6 inches and Ripple Creek has 12.7 inches. 

Larval Sampling Efforts:

Amadeus reported ongoing sampling efforts at Cliff Creek and Escalante (Thunder Ranch). Escalante is 

filling and they are finding larvae going into the wetland. They will continue sampling and are interested 

to see if RZ get all the way into wetland. There’s also sampling at the backwater Walker Hollow and the 

Stewart Lake floodplain. Above Brennan currently has a 2 foot high earthen beaver dam across channel

that is hindering 9,500 cfs connection flows without the dam. They are interested to see whether 

connection occurs with at the higher forecasted magnitudes. There is no update on Old Charlie Wash 

about whether the Service has access to trap at the floodplain. In order to carry through the science 

related to the LTSP, sampling with be shifted to Escalante. 

Matt Breen indicated that with the predicted flows of 11,600 cfs Stewart Lake would have water at the 

inlet gate. The inlet gate spills over at 8,000 cfs. There was a question about whether Stewart Lake 

could be used as a flow through wetland this year. Matt Breen indicated that the UDWR plan is to stick 

with controlling the outlet gate and keep the inlet gate up. Matt also indicated that at flows around 

11,600 cfs there is marginal effectiveness in filling from the top. Stewart Lake had good entrainment 
last year using the outlet gate with excellent entrainment just over 10,000 cfs. UDWR anticipates that at 

current predicted flows it will work well again this year. Matt is waiting to open the outlet gate when 

the Amadeus reports higher densities of fish. Amadeus didn’t pick up any RZ this morning at Stewart 

Lake, but reported the channel is filling. 

UDWR and the Service both agree that there will be a similar operation to last year using the outlet 

gates to back water into the floodplains. It is imperative that they have densities of fish in the area 

otherwise entrainment will not be successful. The plan is for continued light trapping over the next few 

days at the previously mentioned backwaters and floodplains. Amadeus has been setting traps at the 

outlets for a week and will continue to set traps at Stewart Lake. Right now he is trapping close to the 

gate, but with the long channel from the river to the gate he will start trapping all the way up the 

channel to see if there are RZ anywhere along the channel. 

The group discussed the communication plan and process for informing Reclamation when the Stewart 

Lake gate has been shut. Joe Skorupski will give Heather and Dave a call when the gate is shut. People 

are aware of who needs to know. Everyone got messages yesterday. Amadeus has been added to the 

list and there’s good redundancy in communication. There was further discussion regarding whether 

shutting the gate at Stewart Lake should be the trigger for decreasing releases from Flaming Gorge, 

especially with the other floodplains that are being sampled and studied this year. Kevin Bestgen 

indicated that the most important part of the entrainment is keeping track of Yampa River pulses. The 

Yampa River may decrease and drain some of the flow, but the floodplains act like strainers and every 

pulse results in new fish. The best possible operation would be a stable release out of FG until the 

Yampa River is forecasted to continue to decline. The current plan for FG operations is to maintain 

power plant releases through June 6 in an attempt to catch the predicted pulse from the Yampa River.

The biologists are expecting good production for 10 days to 2 weeks and benefits to entrainment at 

higher densities. Amadeus reported that current numbers in traps range from 50 to 100 fish, which is 

much higher than the densities seen than last year, which were around 30 fish. The most upstream 

point is Escalante and then Cliff Creek and Amadeus is seeing most of the RZ towards mouth of 

backwaters. He indicated that today’s trapping showed fish moving into the backwaters and wetlands. 

He hasn’t detected RZ at the Stewart Lake outlet or Walker Hollow, but pointed out that for Stewart 

Lake traps were not set at mouth of river. He will reestablish traps through the channel and track it. 

Kevin Bestgen questioned whether the Stewart Lake outlet gate should be opened up today with larval 

numbers they are reporting. Matt indicated that it depends on whether the flows go down again and 

drain Stewart Lake. If everything works out perfectly then it makes sense. Tom Chart discussed that the 

forecast is for stable or increasing flows through Saturday so sounds reasonable to open Stewart Lake 

now. It makes sense for fish entrainment and getting more water into the wetland without having to 

use as much Redfleet water. Matt is going to wait on Amadeus’ results tomorrow indicating larvae per 

trap numbers through the whole channel before the Stewart Lake gate is opened.
Next Meetings:

May 30, 2013 at 10:00 a.m.

June 4, 2013 at 10:30 a.m.

June 7, 2013 at 10:00 a.m.