Lost Creek Lake logjam could become hazard for boaters - News - MailTribune.com - Medford, OR

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2015-05-04

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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation  |  Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Emergency services, May 3 Former San Quentin guard publishes book Photographers capture some lovely blooms in latest Mail Tribune contest Soaring rents, stagnant wages create housing crisis Wimer's Highland Games appeal to both the kilted and kiltless Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services, May 3 Dozens of drivers nabbed in Medford pedestrian sting Emergency services, May 2 Gold Hill man torched his foreclosed property No leads on who smashed about 20 windows in Ashland before dawn Thursday Politics and Elections BREAKING: Baltimore prosecutor charges officers in Freddie Gray's death Earthquakes hit regularly in Medford (Oklahoma, that is) Medford School Board, Position 6: Curt Ankerberg vs. Janet Lightheart Arthur I. 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Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED   » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW   Our View: Our picks for Medford School Board       ...       Bright spots in the dark       ...       Guest Opinion: Animal-killing program pulls wool over taxpayers' eyes       ...       Our View: Our picks for Medford School Board       ...       Bright spots in the dark       ...       Guest Opinion: Animal-killing program pulls wool over taxpayers' eyes       ...           ENVIRONMENT Lost Creek Lake logjam could become hazard for boaters Woody debris piled near spillway could become hazard for boaters Comment By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Posted Feb. 23, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Posted Feb. 23, 2015 at 12:01 AM »  RELATED CONTENT • Corps hopes to clear Lost Creek Lake of debris »  Social News TRAIL — Water managers and marine patrollers are mulling whether they will need to remove the largest pile of woody debris collected at Lost Creek Lake in nearly two decades before the popular waterskiing season begins in late May. Two high-water events this winter flushed huge rafts of logs and other woody debris that have created a large jam near the dam's spillway, extending more than 100 yards off the bank, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The jam does not yet impede boat traffic at the Taklema boat ramp nor the multi-port intake tower used to adjust water outflows and temperatures, and the agency has no money budgeted for debris-removal at the upper Rogue River reservoir. "There will be bits and pieces of it all over the reservoir, but the bulk of it now is at the dam," said Jim Buck, the Corps' Rogue Basin project manager. "If it was around the intake tower, we'd have to address that," Buck said. "Right now, we're just keeping an eye on where it's at and seeing if it'll stay in that location." Buck said it is the largest amount of woody debris in the reservoir during his 17 years as project manager, and during that time the Corps has not had to physically remove large numbers of logs from the water there. But this could be the year. "It's got to be gone, bottom line, in my opinion," said Sgt. Shawn Richards of the Jackson County Sheriff's Department's marine program. "We can move it wherever, but we've got to get it out of there." Lost Creek Lake is one of Oregon's most popular waterskiing and fishing lakes, and Richards fears mayhem among waterskiers should logs and sticks come into play. The bulk of the reservoir's boating effort comes between Memorial Day and Labor Day. "We're going to have to figure out a way to get it out before the season starts," Richards said. "My hope is we can all work together and get it done." A contractor would have to be hired to use log booms to corral the logs and drag them to a location where they can be scooped out and piled, Buck said. If that happens, the Corps likely would issue firewood permits for people to cut and haul away the wood, he said. Another option, Richards said, is to drag it all into a cove and secure it with log booms and wait for the water levels to drop and expose the wood on the dry lake bed, where it could be cut as firewood. The U.S. Forest Service occasionally has had to collect floating logs at Applegate Reservoir, often corralling them with booms. But Applegate has a 10 mph speed limit and is dominated by anglers traveling at slow enough speeds to avoid floating logs. When Lost Creek's woody dilemma first surfaced Feb. 2, it was largely relegated to the waters upstream of Peyton Bridge. That area is a no-wake zone avoided by skiers who need more speed. While the cops and Corps keep eyeing the wood, one thing they likely won't have to keep tabs on is the pesky blue-green algae bloom that has dogged the reservoir since Dec. 4. The bloom appeared to have died off in the past week, and Corps officials Thursday sent off water samples to be tested for the levels of cyanobacteria or any associated toxins, Buck said. If the water is deemed safe, the voluntary advisory against water contact there will be lifted, and Buck said that could be as early as Tuesday. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 541-776-4470 or [email protected]. Follow him at www.twitter.com/MTwriterFreeman.  By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Posted Feb. 23, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments   Reader Reaction »  STAY INFORMED   Email NewsLetter   Sign Up Today   Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed   Email newsletter   Sign Up Today   Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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