The boat ramp at Swift Reservoir on the upper North Fork of the Lewis River is dry and likely will stay dewatered for months.
Swift Reservoir dropped to 26 feet below full pool last week, stranding the ramp at Swift Forest Camp. On Wednesday, the water level was 28 feet down.
“We are trying to maintain some boat access to Yale and Merwin (reservoirs), so they are drafting Swift — sacrificing Swift — for the lower reservoirs for recreation,” said Frank Shrier, principal scientist for PacifiCorp.
Shrier briefed the Lewis River Aquatic Coordination Committee. The committee is a monthly meeting of PacifiCorp, state and federal fishery agencies, the Forest Service, Cowlitz PUD, Indian tribes and others involved in Lewis River management under the utility’s 2008 federal license to operate Merwin, Yale and Swift dams.
The Lewis River Flow Coordination Committee has agreed PacifiCorp can drop flows downstream of Merwin Dam to 800 cubic feet per second beginning Aug. 1 to save water.
“We’re trying to conserve water to be able to provide spawning flows in the fall,” he said.
The North Fork of the Lewis River is home of the largest population of wild-spawning fall chinook salmon in the lower Columbia basin.
In 2014, 25,800 wild spawning fall chinook returned to lower Columbia tributaries, with the majority in the Lewis downstream of Merwin Dam.
The forecast for 2015 is 19,300.
Shrier said just 700 cubic feet per second is flowing into the upper end of Swift Reservoir.
“A lot of creeks in the upper basin are dry, or down to a trickle,” he said. “Clear Creek is the lowest I’ve ever seen it. We guessed it’s about 50 cubic feet per second or less.”
The Muddy River, the largest of the upper North Fork Lewis tributaries, is flowing at 132 cubic feet per second. The average, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, is 276 cubic feet per second for this date.
“It’s just the facts,” Shrier said. “It’s not just the Lewis. It’s the whole Northwest.”
Ninety-two feet below full pool is the lowest Swift Reservoir has been drafted in recent memory. That came during a winter drought.
“I don’t think we’ll ever go there, but if Swift goes down 122 feet you won’t get any water out,” he said, noting that the bottom of the intakes on the dam are 122 feet below full pool.
“In all the history of Swift, we’ve never been there,” Shrier said. “You’d just have a big pond not going anywhere,”
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife stocked Swift Reservoir with 51,800 catchable-size rainbow trout in late May in anticipation of the June 6 fishing season opener.
Without boat launching available, minimal fishing is anticipated at Swift. The fishing season continues through Nov. 30.
On Wednesday, Yale Reservoir was 10 feet below full pool. Saddle Dam and Yale Park ramps both have enough water to launch.
Merwin Reservoir was eight feet down on Wednesday. Both Speelyai Bay and Cresap Bay boat ramps are operating.
