BOR warns of releases to Milk River

BOR warns of releases to Milk River

Residents, recreationists cautioned to watch for rising levels

Tim Leeds

The federal agency that operates Fresno Dam west of Havre has warned that the amounts of water being released are going up, and people should be watching for rising levels in the Milk River.

A Bureau of Reclamation press release said that to control the level of the reservoir and to prepare for runoff during the spring the amount of water being released has more than tripled, with additional increases possibly required.

The same has been done at Beaver Creek Reservoir south of Havre, although the chair of the Hill County Commission said that has been backed off due to high levels of water and ice in the creek below the dam.

"We had (increased the discharge) but we have reduced that, " Commissioner Mike Wendland said Wednesday.

BOR, which administers the Milk River irrigation project including Fresno Reservoir, said in the release that Monday the amount of discharge was increased from 90 cubic-feet-per-second to 180 cubic-feet-per-second.

Tuesday that amount was increased again, to 280 cubic-feet-per-second.

Wendland said the level of Beaver Creek Reservoir, which had filled with runoff over the last month or two, has been reduced.

A gate allowing control of the amount released from the dam, which had malfunctioned over the summer and prevented controlled releases, was re-opened last fall, allowing the releases.

Wendland said that the county will continue to monitor the water levels and start releasing additional water again if necessary.

"It all depends on the weather, more than anything, right now, " he said. "Right now we're waiting, just kind of watching the weather, to try to keep from flooding anything. "

The federal agency that operates Fresno Dam west of Havre has warned that the amounts of water being released are going up, and people should be watching for rising levels in the Milk River.

A Bureau of Reclamation press release said that to control the level of the reservoir and to prepare for runoff during the spring the amount of water being released has more than tripled, with additional increases possibly required.

The same has been done at Beaver Creek Reservoir south of Havre, although the chair of the Hill County Commission said that has been backed off due to high levels of water and ice in the creek below the dam.

"We had (increased the discharge) but we have reduced that, " Commissioner Mike Wendland said Wednesday.

BOR, which administers the Milk River irrigation project including Fresno Reservoir, said in the release that Monday the amount of discharge was increased from 90 cubic-feet-per-second to 180 cubic-feet-per-second.

Tuesday that amount was increased again, to 280 cubic-feet-per-second.

Wendland said the level of Beaver Creek Reservoir, which had filled with runoff over the last month or two, has been reduced.

A gate allowing control of the amount released from the dam, which had malfunctioned over the summer and prevented controlled releases, was re-opened last fall, allowing the releases.

Wendland said that the county will continue to monitor the water levels and start releasing additional water again if necessary.

"It all depends on the weather, more than anything, right now, " he said. "Right now we're waiting, just kind of watching the weather, to try to keep from flooding anything. "