Reservoir Update 6/30/09
Update Water Temps and Cell Phone Coverage
The water was up to 76 degrees this past weekend and climbing. The Fourth of July weekend looks hot and dry!
In cruisng this past week I made a point to check the cell phone reception on my boat bag phone. I boat corrected. Things are better than I reported earlier. I had good coverage everywhere from the dam to Dent. Thats is the best I have seen, maybe they improved things or it was just one of those good days? NOTE: I have a 12 volt bag phone with a fifteen foot antenna on top a 16 foot boat.
Full Pool |
Park Watch Program
The Corps is about to implement a Park Watch program. You should soon see posters & signs displaying our Park
info about the program - it include rewards for information on vandalism - and good thing is the money comes from HQ not the local recreation budget.
Fish Nutrient Program
The once a week fertilization of the plankton / fish project appears to be working - it takes a few years to work
it's way up the food chain but the Kokanee are already bigger and
heavier, they are also 12-13" long. That was the goal. They never expected monsters.
Reservoir Litter Bags
The small litter bags are temporary. There was a glitch in the ordering system and so the local Corps had to borrow
bags from another office. The large bags will return shortly!
Fred's Bay Safe Harbor Dock
Fred's bay dock is no longer attached to the fore bay booms - the maintenance folks, John
and Tom pulled it in to the maintenance shop. One float was damaged and full of water,
they removed it and are in the process of re-rigging the anchors - the Corps hoped to have
it back in place next week but a water system break at Dent became the priority.
Reservoir Update 6/25/09
Drift Creek Dock
The Corps surveyed the damage to the Drift Creek dock.
The dock was damaged by most likely a hot BBQ grill placed on top of the steel anchor hanger on the edge of the dock.
The dock heated up and melted causing the warp in the plastic and the steel hanger melted through the holder, releasing the anchor pulley.
The good news is that the dock is still anchored in place as the cable is attached through the counter weight pulley on the opposite side of the dock.
The bad news is the repair will be very difficult due to the warping of the surrounding plastic sections.
The Corps has decided to postpone the fix until after the holiday weekend just in case things don't go as planned and the fix creates more hazards or makes it unusable.
The Corps has posted damaged section closed and opened the remainder of the dock.
Rangers will be monitoring and replacing the signs and caution tape as needed until the dock is fixed.
Rangers will patrol regularly.
Maybe there should be a reward for information on the perpetrators. Four times now does not seem to be an accident to this editor.
Drift Creek dock damage and posting |
Water Levels, Temps and Cell Phone Coverage
We received some great feed back from our viewers. It was requested that the water level and temperature be made available on our home page. There is a link on this webs link page to water info. For your current information the lake is full. Here is the link...........
Reservoir Water Levels
The water temp is hovering around 74 degrees according to my boat sensor, which is great for kids but a touch cool for this old grandpa yet. I need about 3 more degrees! Folks enjoyed the water at yesterdays dock luck.
Dock Luck Wednesday at the Merry's Bay Dock |
Cell Phone Coverage
Cell phone reception on a regular hand held is tough any where on the lake. Most of the lake has no reception and the few "good" spots are sporadic. The ones I have found are in Merry's Bay just behind the dam and at the mouth of Elk Cr. Many times your phone will ring because the tower has more power than your hand held. The handheld is lower power and can't get back to the tower. I have a 12 volt bag phone on a fifteen foot antenna and I can get out of the good spots really well.... but most of the lake is dead for me also. If you know of other spots please let me know. If there enough good spots we can post a map.
VHF radios work great for ship to ship.... really handy if you need the sheriff
Radio Information
Wildlife
A few of us were lucky to be properly positioned to watch a great aerial battle Tuesday eve in the skies above Merry's Bay. An Osprey had what appeared to be a small fish in it's talons while being attacked by a Bald Eagle. We were not sure which critter was the others possible dinner? Then a bunch of swallows joined in the acrobatics and attacks. Looked like a World War I dog fight. The Eagle got in too close for comfort and the Osprey dropped the supposed fish which appeared to be gliding down to the water. Looked like a dive bomb in Pearl Harbor. I was sure it was going to auger in and splat on my boat. Odd thing is the fish sort of dipped and turned a bit. Apparently it was a now wounded Swallow and not a fish at all. The other small birds escorted the wounded bird off toward the shore. The Eagle and Osprey broke off the fight. I did not know Osprey fed on small birds as well as fish?
DRA
and Corps News 6/22/09
Summer Arrives With Good News and Bad News
The first day of summer was a cool wet day but all ramps are open, and the reservoir is just about bank full. We do have some real bad news, once again someone has used a BBQ on the Drift Cr Dock and this time the damage is worse than ever.
The Drift Creek dock is out of service right now due to a broken anchor cable connector.
Apparently a BBQ melted the dock where the anchor hanger was attached.
This is about the fourth time there has been damages due to melting / small BBQ's - this one being by far the worst. The dock is flagged unsafe and is not to be used at all until it is repaired which might not be until after the water comes down. This is going to ruin a lot of recreation for a lot of people.
If you see someone using a small BBQ inform them of the melting problems and continued damage to the docks. We need to spread this word and get this stopped.
The cool weather doesnt stop this birthday dock party.
|
Life Jacket Loaner Program an Ongoing Success
The lake is Life jacket loaner boards are stocked and being used--there is now a loaner
board at Dent, in addition to Big Eddy, and the 2 ramps at Bruce's Eddy.
Flag Day Activities at Visitor Center
Flag Day weekend festivities at the dam visitor center was enjoyed by many! There was over 100 square dancers whirling and twirling on the center plaza; a local flint-knapper demonstrating the ancient art of making stone tools; and a patriotic craft session with one of of the Corps' volunteers in which we made red, white and blue flowers from ribbon. The volunteer hopes to have a craft session again on July 4th weekend. Since the Visitor Center "plaza" is fast becoming a venue for programs, watch the newspaper and this website for future activities.
Fish Getting Bigger
The nutrient program is ongoing. There's been a few reports (from fishing
folks) of larger fish than last year. Fishing was awful on the dam end for a the last few weeks but it seems to have picked up a lot the past few days. There are happy fisherman out there.
Debris
As always springs rising water and creeks bring lots of flotsam to the lake. There's still a lot of debris in the water. Boaters beware. Some of it is very large.
Walking the dog?
|
Big Eddy Wave Attenuator
Tangled in Red Tape
The Corps has been reviewing and reviewing and reviewing the wave attenuator and additional moorage project for over two months. I understand this is the last hurdle before the project can go out for bid and possible construction. Indications are they are almost done with the review and are going to approve the project. Keep your fingers crossed but don't hold your breath.
Row row row your boat...hey gas is expensive! Big Eddy Wave Attenuator
Good News 5/19
It has been determined that the anchors for this project are structure and not fill. The 404 permit that would have significantly delayed the project is not necessary.The Corps is continuing the review process, some of that is consultation with Fish and Wildlife, hopefully that and the Cultural Resource review will end soon and we can get on with a bidding process and get the thing built!
DRA
News 5/8/09
Idaho
Invasive Species Fund
There
was a surprise in the mail yesterday. A pamphlet from
Idaho Parks and Recreation. A new law requires any boat
that is registered in Idaho or another state, and any
non-motorized vessel (canoe, kayak, raft, drift boat,
etc.) need to have the an invasive species sticker. Inflatable
non-motorized vessels must be less than 10 feet in length
to be exempted from this requirement. Failure to have
the registration in 2009 is subject to a $57 fine.
More
info is available at the Idaho Invasive
Species website.
Editor comment: This was
a surprise to me. It appears to me this came out of nowhere?
My first reaction is why have another complete sticker
program to manage? Why wasn't this just an added fee on
boat registration? The law indicates this is mandatory.
Wave
Attenuator - Marina Enhancement Project
US
Army Corps Engineering review of the project is complete,
the Planning department has sent a completed Biological
Assessment to US Fish & Wildlife Service for SEC 7
consultation; Cultural Resource assessment is underway.
We may need a 404 permit for the anchor system.
In
English:
The wave attenuator plans review has been completed by
the federal engineering folks.
There
is a requirement for all projects like this to be run
past US Fish & Wildlife Service under a law referred
to as Section 7, the Corps indicated they do not anticipate
any problems or delays on this project from Fish and Wildlife
As crazy as it seems since its 200 feet under water and
probably another 20 feet under silt, the Cultural Resource
group has to document the affects of placing of any anchors
or a disturbance of a known cultural site. The land under
the water at this location was an identified site.
A
permit is necessary under Section 404 of the Clean Water
Act if there is fill is added to "waters of the United
States". They are trying to determine if the anchors
for this project come under the 404 permit regulations
or are they outside that definition and considered a structure
and not fill. If they are fill, the volume of anchors
for this project may exceed the national blanket 404 permit
already in place for this type of action which means they
may need project specific permit. This could add significant
time to the project development.
Corps
of Engineers - Stimulus Package Funds Local Projects
The United States Army Corps
of Engineers today released a listing of Civil Works projects
to be funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act of 2009. The Dworshak projects are:
-Repair/Paving of Dent Acres
campground .Fund the contracted rehabilitation/repair
and
improvement of existing roads and parking areas for access
to recreation and public use areas
through new chip seal, pothole repair and paving where
needed as determined by inspection.
-Repair of Granddad Road.
Fund the contracted rehabilitation/repair and improvement
of
existing roads for access to recreation and public use
areas through repair and gravel resurface
where needed as determined by inspection.
-National Fish Hatchery Effluent
System upgrade planning and design and architectural
engineering firm to investigate effluent system water
quality to determine what system modifications
and improvements are necessary to bring water quality
up to proper standards.
The full list of projects
is available on the Corps
website.
DRA
Boaters Clean Docks
Geese
have decided that the destination docks are a great place
to hang out. The docks are "decorated" by the
geese all winter and getting them cleaned off for human
habitation is a chore. Some DRA folks took it upon themselves
to start the cleaning. Thanks to John, Rick, Vern, Devon
and Ed for their efforts and time. No thanks to the geese
for their efforts.
Vern, Shep and Devon and the Goose Grease
Vern and Shep and a big pump with a missing nozzle.
Ed a week later goes high tech.
|
Corps
of Engineers Maintenance Crew leader
John
Beck has been hired by the Corps as the new maintenance
crew leader. John's crew is currently finishing the water
system improvements at Dent. He indicated his next project
is to get the Merry's Bay and Fred's Bay floating docks
back in place.
Corps
of Engineers News 3/11/09
The
Corps of Engineers has a number of positions that
were or will be advertised. All can be viewed at USAjobs.com
or at Orofino job service.
-
Maintenance supervisor
- Utility Systems operators, (potable water)
- Maintenance worker
- Contract specialist
- Student aid
There
may also be opportunities through Orofino job service
for student jobs in the community, if so, we have agreed
to host 2-4 positions at DWO.
We
are waiting on a little warmer weather to re-install the
Merry's Bay destination dock.
We have ordered cables & supplies to re-install the
Fred's Bay dock.
Stimulus
money: changing daily as we receive information
The
most immediate needs were for items that could be installed
or purchased within 4 months. One Dworshak item made that
cut:
-
Resurface Dent Campground roads - The 30+ year old
asphalt is all cut-up and degraded after recent upgrades
to the electric system.
A
lot is up in the air right now and I believe this to be
the first cut to get money out in the economy and get
people working - there may be more coming and we are preparing
The
nutrient addition project is moving out for the third
application year, all contracts are in place. It looks
like we are having an impact on the pico-plankton, phytoplankton
and zooplankton. If things go the way we expect, we hope
to see a significant increase in size and quantity of
edible zooplankton this year, (that is until all the hungry
Kokanee start to eat it). Based on what we saw last year
the length of Kokanee is only slightly increasing, but
the weight is significantly increasing.
Kokanee
numbers are expected be moderately low this year, but
size should be good. I have already heard one report of
a group catching 75 with good size of 12-14 inch. Of course
they did not tell where that catch came from.
Public
Use Plan update:
Walla Walla District is making progress on writing the
plan, we had a slow start as funding was not available,
anticipate opportunities to talk with the planners this
summer. I personally plan to take them out on the lake
during and after work to see and enjoy this great resource
- How can someone write a plan if they have not lived
the fun of a day on the docks, a hike of the trails or
a lakeshore camp over night. I will make sure they get
the full picture.
Grants:
we applied for two state grants- one for Dent campground
paving (to fix cuts made in asphalt when we upgraded the
electrical system) and for a new destination dock. We
should know by late May or June if we received these grants
Dent opening: April 9th for campground. The boat
ramp will open as soon as we plow open two lanes of traffic
Boat
inspections: corps rangers will do on land State of
Idaho boat inspections (same inspection the sheriff's
dept does)
Fish
station openings- scheduled to open Memorial Day weekend
When
around water, ALWAYS wear your PFD
Deb
Norton
Lead Ranger
Dworshak Dam and Reservoir
208-476-1256
DRA
News 3/1/09
Winter
on Dworshak is a very slow time. Hopefully as the weather
changes we will have some more news to post so please
check back as spring arrives. If any one has a suggestion
on what information they would like to see on this web
site please let me know.
Big
Eddy Marina Wave Attenuator / Moorage Project Update
The
design for construction of a wave protection and moorage
structure on Dworshak Reservoir continues. The project,
a wave attenuator and big boat moorage for Big Eddy, has
been in the planning stages for three years. The plans
and bid package are in the final stages of review. Final
approvals of the package by the Idaho State Parks and
Corps of Engineers is needed before a recommendation to
proceed can be made to the county commissioners. If all
goes well construction could start late this spring. The
plans indicate a 75 day build time so the structure could
possibly be in place by mid to late summer.
Below
you can see a conceptual drawing of the proposed wave
attenuator / moorage dock in relation to the existing
facility. The yellow blocks are large boats. Depending
on bids, the project may not be able to build the entire
structure shown below. The specifications on the numerous
anchors designed by Glosten Associates from Seattle will
keep the wave attenuator from moving less than 20 feet
in any direction, even as the water levels go up and down.
One of the anchor designs suggests slipping used rail
road car wheels on to a cable until the desired weight
is reached!
Corps
of Engineers Grant Proposals
The
Corps is applying for two grants this year. One for a
floating recreation dock for the Big Eddy area. This would
be another large destination dock for the lake. Also a
small RV grant for the Dam View Camping Area on the way
to Big Eddy. They would like to place 3 covered picnic
shelters for that area.
Note:
The DRA provided a letter of recommendation to the state
grant committee endorsing this project.
Marine
Deputy Grant Proposal
The
sheriff was requesting a grant to replace the aged marine
patrol pick up truck. The grant funds are limited state
wide so not all projects can be funded. The Clearwater
County Commissioners made a great move in funding this
vehicle out side of the grant program, possibly freeing
up grant funds go to other projects in the county. Those
other projects includethe ones listed on this page as
well as others not associated with Dwoprshak Reservoir.
Note:
The DRA provided a letter of recommendation to the state
grant committee endorsing this project.
Dworshak
State Park Grant Proposals
Dworshak State Park is currently pursuing
two grants for 2009.
GRANT PROPOSAL #1: REPLACEMENT OF FREEMAN CREEKS LOW WATER
BOAT RAMP AND SUN SHELTER DOCK WITH ONE TIE-OUT/LAUNCH
DOCK.
This proposal is to apply for a Waterways Improvement
Fund (WIF) grant to replace two docks with one to serve
the purpose of a sun-shelter tie-out dock during our busier
peak season at higher pool (approx. May through September)
and as our low water boat ramp dock during our off season
(approx. October through April). We have consulted Knight
EZ dock to give us an estimate and diagram of 107' section
of this partially self-adjusting dock (with the potential
to add more sections depending on funding). Please refer
to the attachment above as an example of potential engineering
and specs on this dock. It would be setup so that during
our shoulder seasons two times per year, park staff would
simply detach the dock from the cabling and bring it around
to the area that requires its use and reattach it to that
areas cabling. Our request on this grant is for $60,000
with IDPR providing at $20,000 match for a total of $80,000.
GRANT PROPOSAL #2: REPLACE FREEMAN CREEK CAMPGROUND'S
SURFACE WATER SYSTEM WITH A WELL WHILE PROVIDING A FENCED
ENCLOSURE TO THE PARKS WATER STORAGE TANK.
This proposal is to apply for an RV grant to provide a
potentially safer and much more cost effective delivery
of water to the park while further protecting the treated
water system we have. The Idaho Department of Environmental
Quality is requiring further testing of surface water
bacteria beginning in 2009 for E. Coli and Cryptosporidium.
These tests will be required bi-weekly at a cost of $500
each (over $6,000 base estimated cost). In addition, the
only current testing facility for these waterborne pathogens
is located in Spokane, Washington - so added shipping
and transportation costs will be expensive (the tests
are due within ~30 hours of the water sample being pulled).
In addition, surface water systems are also the easiest
to tamper with and therefore most regulated and require
the highest levels of monitoring of the water (and water
operator licensing) that a well system does not currently
require. This results in much additional licensing and
renewal classes, that while valuable, takes away from
our ability to perform other important park tasks assigned
to our park rangers and staff.
If you have any questions or concerns please email or
call.
Chuck Gross
Park Ranger
Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation
Dworshak State Park
Phone: 208-476-5994
Fax: 208-476-7225
Email: dwo@idpr.idaho.gov
Note:
The DRA provided a letter of recommendation to the state
grant committee endorsing this project.
Corps
of Engineers to Reset Docks
The
Merry's Bay destination dock was ripped from it's anchorage
in a large storm last summer. It has been temporarily
moored in the center of the bay on a temp anchor. The
Corps plans on replacing / improving the anchor system
and placing it in the old location on the east side of
the bay. The Fred's Bay Safe
harbor dock was pulled under last spring as the water
came up, the anchor line was tangled in bottom debris.
It spent the entire last summer hiding near the dam in
a storage mode. The Corps plans to replace / improve the
anchor system and place it in the old location in the
bay.
Dworshak
State Park Manager
The
state park manager position was advertised to be filled
in early February. The vacancy solicitation has closed.
We may soon have a new state park manager.
Update: The governor has implemented a hiring freeze on
state jobs that requires additional justification to fill
jobs, overall time frame is unknown at this point in time
but they still hope to have someone in place by May.
Corps
of Engineers Maintenance Crew
The
lead Corps resource maintenance position was also advertised.
DRA
News 10/1/08
NOAA
Weather Spotter Class a success
There
were 30 attendees at the NOAA Weather Spotter Class Tuesday
September 30 at the Dworshak Dam Visitor Center. Peter
Felsch did a great job presenting the information and
there seemed to be a lot of interest from folks in joining
in as Weather Spotters for the area. We would like to
thank Peter for his efforts and the Corps for hosting
the class.
Water
is bottomed out at 80 feet down. Big Eddy Marina. |
Marina
wave attenuator / additional moorage discussions continue
The
committee led by Chris Kuykendall and assigned by County
Commissioners to review and over see the development of
a wave attenuator and added moorage at the Big Eddy Marina
continued the process of trying to match the best design
with the available grant moneys. In reviewing the preliminary
drawings and cost that Matrix Engineering provided the
group came up with some questions on possible changes
to the designs to lower costs but needed to know what
that change would do to the functionality of the system.
It is still real early in this process and as things solidify
we will provide better information. The group is scheduled
to meet with Matrix on October 9.
The
initial plan was to have a 400 foot long 10x10 concrete
dock in front of the marina with boat slips on the marina
side with finger docks. There may not be enough funds
to accomplish all this so the team is looking at ways
to cut costs and still provide wave protection and moorage.
The finger docks for boat slips may not be possible but
can be set up to be added at a later date.
Matrix
Engineering was to sign the design contract on Monday
9/29. This starts the desgn package in motion. First item
is to obtain the topography of the lake bottom in front
of the marina (bathymetry). Harrison Dock builders out
of North Idaho is going to run that survey. Next is obtaining
weather data, wind speeds, wind direction and duration
to try and determine how much protection the marina needs.
Matrix works with a deep sea anchor design firm, Glosten
Associates out of Seattle that will design the anchor
system based on the attenuator configuration, bathymetry
and climate.
DRA
Meeting list accomplishments, discusses finances and assigns
directors
A
short overview and business meeting of the DRA prior to
the Tuesday weather class discussed association accomplishments,
finances and voted on officers.
Recent
Accomplishments
Volunteers
assisted the Corps in assembly of the Indian Cr Destination
Dock and placed temporary tables on the dock. Raise funds
to purchase two commercial grade tables for that dock.
Maintained this www.dworshak.org web site. Worked with
NOAA and Corps to provide Weather Spotter course.
Membership / Finances
We
consider everyone that uses Dworshak Reservoir as a member.
There are no mandatory dues or fees but most folks have
donated $5 a family (or more) to be better members! The
money goes to the operation of the web site that is full
of information and news on Dworshak and to projects on
the lake such as tables for the docks or life jackets
for the boat ramp loaner kiosks. All money received or
spent is documented in the associations records and all
expenditures must have the majority approval of the Board
of Directors.
You
can donate by making a check payable to the Dworshak Reservoir
Association and depositing it in our account at the American
West Bank in Orofino
Since
we began actually incurring expenditures and donation
around August 2006. We have raised raised $2940.80.
Expended
$104.80 on web domain registration and hosting
Expended $2047 for two commercial grade tables donated
to Corps for Indian Cr dock.
Total Expended = $104.80 + $2047 = $2151.80
Balance $2940.80 - $2151.80 = $789.00
DRA
Directors
Ed
Lozar was nominated for the the position of president
and the group agreed to the assignment. Devon Bunyan and
Dave Parker were nominated to be on the Board of Directors
and the group agreed to their assignment.
|
Dent
boat ramp
|
Freeman
Cr boat ramp |
DRA
News 9/4/08
Corps
sets two public meetings for Dworshak public use plan
9/15/08
The
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will hold public meetings
Sept. 17 in Orofino, and Sept.18 in Lewiston, to gather
public input and ideas to include in developing a plan
for public uses for lands and water around Dworshak Reservoir
on the North Fork of the Clearwater River.
The
meetings are set for 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Best Western
Lodge at 615 Main Street, Orofino, and 7 to 8:30 p.m.
at the Red Lion Hotel, Port #3, 621 21st Street, Lewiston.
The
purpose for the meetings is to receive public input to
assist planners in the development of a draft public use
plan, originally produced in 1970.
Meeting
participants will discuss balancing increasing demands
for public use with changing reservoir levels and conditions,
then, explore options for management considerations for
the public use plan. The public will be provided the opportunity
to ask questions, discuss concerns and provide ideas for
future management.
For
information regarding this meeting, contact Dworshak Natural
Resources Manager, Paul Pence at (208) 476-1258. or access
the Dworshak Public Use Plan page on the Corps' website
at
http://www.nww.usace.army.mil/planning/er/dworshak/dwamain.htm
|
NOAA
Weather Spotter Class date is Tuesday September
30 at the Dworshak Dam Visitor Center at 6:30 PM.
It is free and open to the public. See below for
more information. The weather spotter class will
start at 7 PM, from 6:30 to 7 PM the DRA will conduct
a short business meeting that the public is encouraged
to attend. |
NOAA
Weather Warning System Update
After
the severe storm on August 8, 2008 that blew through Orofino
and caused damage in town and on the lake, the DRA asked
the NOAA if there was anything they could do to enhance
weather warnings for Dworshak Reservoir. The NOAA looked
into their procedures. Kerry M. Jones, the Warning Coordination
Meteorologist (WCM) for the National Weather Service in
Spokane, WA responded,
"Several
severe thunderstorm warnings were issued that day for
Asotin, Nez Perce, Clearwater and Idaho Counties. During
the event, a staff member at NWS Spokane was manually
sending each individual warning to the Lewiston NWR. Two
of the warnings made it to NWR, including one just 7 minutes
earlier, but regrettably the 637 pm PDT warning for Clearwater
County did not. To ensure this does not happen in the
future, we will modify our scripts/procedures such that
any and all severe weather warnings will automatically
go to NWR."
In
addition the NOAA has offered to teach a course on weather
spotting in Orofino. Peter Felsch, the Warning Coordination
Meteorologist of the National Weather Service in Missoula
is working with the DRA to present a weather spotter training
course. The free course would last around 45 to 50 minutes.
After the course you would have a good idea of the weather
headed your way based on cloud formations. The actual
weather spotter class will start at 7 pm, from 6:30 to
7 pm the DRA will conduct a short business meeting that
the public is encouraged to attend.
Severe
weather approaches Merry's Bay
Shelf cloud - August 8, 2008 |
After
the training session, those who are interested and sign
up to be severe weather spotters, are given a spotter
packet containing the training material, reporting procedures
and criteria, as well as a 1-800 phone number to contact
NOAA at any time on the reservoir or at home. The spotters
are plotted on a map and the NOAA operational staff have
their home and cell phone numbers available to contact
them. Typically NOAA would call them when we either issue
warnings and/or observe strong storms approaching their
location to get feedback and ground truth information..
NOAA
has a full section on their web page which explains the
severe weather spotter program at
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mso/spotter/
In
the middle of the page, there is an online course mainly
for summer convection training at
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mso/train/STrain.html
County
Commissioners Work With Matrix Engineering on Marina Improvement
The
commissioners met with Matrix Engineering and Harrison
Dock Builders August 25, on the wave attenuation system
/ additional large boat moorage design for the Big Eddy
Marina. After discussions, the commissioners have agreed
to have Matrix Engineering design the system. Matrix is
doing some preliminary work to estimate the size and cost
of the system the county envisioned. An aggressive schedule
without any unforeseen problems, could have the design
completed in 10 weeks. Construction could start early
2009. We will keep you posted.
Scope
of Work for engineering services to be provided will include:
DRA
Donations Secure New Picnic Tables
A
big thanks to everyone that donated to the DRA's efforts
to purchase two new tables for the Indian Creek Destination
dock! The tables have been purchased and delivered from
Pilot
Rock and are currently awaiting assembly and deployment
in the Corps of Engineers warehouse here in Orofino.
The two tables are heavy duty commercial
grade tables like the ones already in place on the other
docks on the lake. One of the new tables is wheel chair
accessible. Including shipping the cost of the tables
was $2047! A substantial sum for our association to secure.
Again, thanks to all that helped make this project successful.
Hopefully we can get some pictures posted in the near
future.
Bass Tournament
A
number of fisherman did quite well over the weekend bass
fishing. The average fish weight was 4.5 pounds!
Very
Happy Fisherman
All
catch and release
|
Spokane
Yacht Club Plans Dworshak Cruise
The
DRA received a request for recreation information about
Dworshak Reservoir from the Spokane Yacht Club. They are
considering traveling here with 10 to 30 boats (20-30
foot cruisers) to meet up on the lake, cook a community
dinner and breakfast and just enjoy the lake. This is
in the early planning stages but if they decide on the
trip they have indicated they would invite the members
of the DRA to join in the fun!
Merry's
Bay / Fred's Bay Dock Update
The
Merry's Bay destination dock anchorage system was lost
in the August 8 storm. The Fred's
Bay Safe Harbor dock anchorage was tangled on the
bottom debris this winter when the water was low and lost.
The Corps has ordered cable, pulleys and anchors for both
docks and hopes to repair them as soon as possible. The
Merry's
Bay dock is temporarily
tied off to the yellow can buoy in Merry'sBay and open
for public use.
DRA
News 8/22/08
Merry's
Bay Dock Repaired
Great
news! The Corps maintenance crew repaired the Merry's
Bay Destination Dock Thursday August 20, that was damaged
by the wind storm August 8. Unfortunately the one anchor
that they thought survived the storm did not;: one anchor
disappeared during the storm and other one during recovery.
The remaining anchor connecting plate was held on by a
thread and dropped off as they were preparing to lift
it for repair. The dock itself is now intact and tied
off to the yellow can buoy in Merry'sBay and open for
public use. The Corps is in the process of ordering new
cable and anchors.
The
dock repairers are (L to R), Erick Engle, Bob Kaufman,
and John Beck.
The DRA would like to thank them for their efforts.
Well done gentlemen! |
Merry's
bay dock being repaired. |
NOAA
Weather Offices Respond to DRA
The
DRA sent a letter to the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather
folks in Spokane. They are responsible for the marine
VHF weather broadcast. The letter requested that the NOAA
broadcast out of Lewiston specifically target Dworshak,
specifically when high winds are possible. Peter Felsch,
the Warning Coordination Meteorologist for the National
Weather Service in Missoula and Don Gardner, the Clearwater
County Emergency Management Coordinator both responded
almost immediately.
The
DRA is discussing with the Corps and NOAA to see if any
thing can be done to improve the weather warnings on Dworshak.
Life
Jacket Loaner Board Works....But....
The
life jacket loaner program worked quite well this summer.
The jackets were used extensively and returned to the
board. Up until last weekend only one jacket went missing.
This past weekend, six more took a hike. We are hoping
they will turn up. Please return the jackets after using
them, even if it is at the gas station on the way out
of town. The next person that needs one will certainly
appreciate the jacket.
DRA
News 8/18/08
Algae
Update
First
local toxin test from 8/8 on the algae came back negative.
Two two more tests 8/15 also came back both with negative
recreation level results. The levels are below the safe
recreation level of 10ppb. It is safe to go in the water.
Algae has mostly all subsided, (short life cycle). The
two blue-green algae's in the reservoir are Anabaena and
Microcystis with the bloom being mostly Anabaena.
DRA
News 8/10/08
Wind
Storm
The
thunder / wind storm last Friday 8/8 caused some damage
around the reservoir.
The
Merry's Bay destination dock was torn in half by high
winds from the sudden storm. The bay went from dead calm
to 3 foot waves in about 5 minutes.
The
NOAA marine radio gave no indication of the storm approaching
Orofino. A warning was issued for Lewiston and Asotin
on the radio. Discussions after the storm with folks in
town indicated the NOAA television weather had posted
a warning for Orofino. Most boaters will vacate the dock
for shelter if they know a storm is coming. The DRA intends
to discuss the lack of warning on the marine radio with
the NOAA. I think the storm moved so fast they just could
not get it to the recorded radio message. Discussions
are also taking place on how to avoid such surprises in
the future and possibly establish some guidelines on when
to seek shelter.
Numerous boaters were tied to the dock during the storm.
Some sustained damage.
The dock broke into several sections and one anchor was
lost.
All
the private boats were safely removed from the dock under
their own power and the Corps of Engineers (COE) rounded
up the pieces of the dock for future repair.
The
COE do not expect to have this dock functional until next
season. The closest dock is in the mouth of Indian Creek
about 4 miles up the lake from the dam.
A
smaller boat got caught in the storm out front of Dent
campground. The individual made it back to shore but his
boat was swamped on shore. The CCSO , (Mike Gladhardt),
responded and gave assistance and follow up assistance
the next day. We are so fortunate to have such a dedicated
and effective marine deputy program on this lake.
Dent
campground was without power for a while and a couple
of trees came down in the campground with no damage to
person or property. Rangers did warn and assist the campers
at Dent and the Dent Group camp.
There
were no reports of any marina damage.
No
injuries were reported on the reservoir.
Blue
Green Algae Blooms on the Reservoir
There
are minor algae concentrations in some of the calm back
bays and around docks.
Blue-green
algae are actually bacteria (cyanobacteria) which are
able to photosynthesize, hence the green color They usually
are too small to be seen individually, but sometimes can
form visible colonies. Some cyanobacterial blooms can
look like foam, scum, or mats on the surface of fresh
water lakes and ponds. The blooms can be blue, bright
green, brown, or red and may look like paint floating
on the water.
 |
Information
from John Stockner, the contract limnologist who
works with the Corps of Engineers indicated that
the very high runoff year and a higher than normal
'natural' Phosphorus and Nitrogen load that was
the likely trigger, coupled with the higher temperatures
and high light intensities of mid-summer.
As
Dworshak reservoir naturally ages these small blooms
will likely reoccur and their intensity will be
related to the hydrologic cycle, or more specifically
to the magnitude of the spring 'freshet' and the
nutrient loads it carries into the system.
The
nutrient supplement program was not the cause of
the bloom and in fact the bloom was limited by the
program. The blooms are more prominent in Elk Cr
and the Little North Fork where there is no nutrient
supplement taking place. |
John
is confident that Anabaena algae will soon leave Dworshak
and the system will return to a less 'green' state.
There
are many species of algae, most do not produce toxins.
It is important to remember that algae are a natural part
of our water ways and all cyanobacteria can produce skin
irritants under certain conditions and some can produce
multiple types of the more harmful toxins. The water is
being tested for these toxins.
Algae
Do's and Dont's (Info from NOAA,
Center of Excellence for Great Lakes and Human Health)
Boaters enjoy the Drift
Creek Destination Dock
