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Corps leaves room in lakes for runoff That shouldn't hurt recreation, officials say By PAUL FATTIG Lost Creek and Applegate lakes won't be full for Memorial Day weekend. Preparing for what could be the biggest snow runoff in the Rogue Basin in 70 years, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has decided to stop filling the reservoirs until June 15. Both normally are full by May 1. Earlier this month Corps officials announced the lakes would be full by Memorial Day, considered the opening weekend of the vacation season. The latest decision was reached after concerns were aired at public meetings in Medford and Gold Beach last week. Concern was expressed by many, including people who float the Rogue each summer, that high flows could pose a danger. But the decision isn't expected to disrupt recreational activities at the sites. Lost Creek lake is only about five feet below full; Applegate is 8 or 9 feet from the brim. "As far as recreational opportunities in the lakes, there won't be any problems," said Jim Buck, the Corps' operations manager for Lost Creek and Applegate. "All the boat ramps can be used. There's plenty of water for recreaton." Without keeping portions of the reservoirs in reserve, there would be too much water flowing out of the dams should the heavy blanket of snow in the mountains melt too fast, Buck said. Catching those expected freshets will help reduce extreme downriver flows, he said. "But summer flows will still be higher this summer for boaters who are used to lower levels," he said, urging they use extra caution on the river this year. Calculations by Russ Davidson, the Corps' hydrologist and reservoir regulator, indicated the Rogue Basin may have the biggest runoff since 1929. The basin snowpack earlier this month was 207 percent of normal. The snow depth at Crater Lake National Park is at 130 inches, with the highest water content in 45 years. The top of Mount Ashland is buried in more than 200 inches of snow. Both have the deepest snow in many years, officials report. In all but two of the last 70 years, the primary snowmelt in the mountains ringing the Rogue Valley has occurred in May, Buck said. "That hasn't happened this month," he said. The long-range weather forecast for the Northwest west of the Cascades calls for below-normal temperatures and above-normal precipitation through July, according to the National Weather Service. No decision has been made when to fill the two lakes, Buck said. "We'll be keeping a close eye on the weather and watching the snowmelt," Buck said. "We're expecting the flows to pick up some with this warm weather. We'll keep assessing the situation." The Corps coordinates its spring and summer operating plans with both state and federal agencies. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA