The latest report from the Corp of Engineers is for the river level to remain about the same until April 14th. This is the date when the flood gauge at Georgetown on the White River will drop from 21 feet to 16 feet due to farming requirements. Due to this, the water releases will have to be cut at Greers Ferry dam. The lake is falling at about the rate of ¼ foot per day and is 7 feet above the normal pool. Another note: the generation being shown on the Corp website is not allowing for the water being released from the flood gates. The new procedure is when all the White River lakes are in the flood pool and the generators are running at maximum, it creates an overload on the electrical grid. To alleviate this, they are cutting back on the water run thru the generators and making up for this flow with the opening of the flood gates. This allows the same flow as full generation but does not have the overloading effect on the grid. While this is going on you might start noticing the tail water height instead of the cfs reading. The cfs reading only shows what is being put thru the generators. The water height below the dam is approximately 265.5 for no generation and 276.1 for 2 generators. When the level is 276 or higher, the flow is about 7000 cfs( cubic feet per second). This may seem complicated but it may be of help to you when planning a trip on the river. I asked if the water temperature would be affected by this new procedure and the Corp said they will have the Arkansas Game and Fish take readings on the tail water to check the temperature. Early in the year this should not have much negative impact on the river but as the water temperature in the lake rises, this could be a concern for this method of lowering the lake. If you fish on this high water, please be extra careful. The flow is strong and does not allow for mistakes due to lack of attention. Do not allow your boat to drift against any obstruction in the river.
Be Safe and Good Fishing!!
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