Local Float

[waterboy]

Conan, I checked the forecasted discharge today that was forecasted last Friday and it showed 11,200 cfsd (I assume that's cubic feet per second discharge). Instead, it is currently at 22,500 cfs. Unless I read it wrong the forecast was way off. I guess it was the unexpected rains the last few days. It would be nice to have something available 24-48 hours in advance with a higher reliability.

SXSW, I would like to have a look at Bird Creek. I especially would like to see the area where the Civil War battle was supposed to have been fought with Archie Yahola and Confederate troops.

[Conan71]

Unfortunately, other than sleeping with someone at the Corps who runs the dam, that's about as good as it's going to get.  I would expect the rain is what skewed the actual discharge.  I'm glad to see some H20 back down in my neck of the woods, it was really showing some sand bars for a few days there.  Fortunately I'm training more for some bicycling endurance events at the moment, our big fall rowing races are still six weeks off.

[waterboy]

Unfortunately, other than sleeping with someone at the Corps who runs the dam, that's about as good as it's going to get.....

I'm willing to do that. Am I a bad person?

Seriously, upon analyzing that web site it is really a projection of releases planned by and for Southwest Power to create electricity based on demand projections. So, they may open two gates to create power, yet the Corps. might open other gates for lowering lake levels which may not be reflected in the projection. Nonetheless, it is another piece of useful information in determining river levels.

Interesting (to me anyway) that they show on their map the downstream at Tulsa measuring indicator as being located on the East side of the SW Boulevard bridge, when it is actually on the West side. Any rower will tell you to stay away from the East side when the water is down.

[Conan71]

Here's a little lore for one of your future guided trips if you were not aware: The passage between the two Tern islands (I call them North Toxic and South Toxic, one of my rowing mates is an environmentalist with FWS and denies there's hazardous waste capped over on those islands) and Westport is called "The Gauntlet" by the rowing club.  When the 11th St. gage is at 7 ft or higher, it's like a treadmill, even in a quad.  I won't go through there in a racing single when it's over 5.  You can get pitched around pretty hard and it can get a little hairy exiting going the "wrong way". 

[waterboy]

I am aware. It was described in each of the last two trips. I see it as a "venturi effect" like what comes in play in a car engine intake manifold. It forces the water through a smaller opening, thus causing it to speed up and swirl. It jerks you back and forth and is unpredictable. Even the geese seem to know about it and float in and out of the main channel it produces, sort of like jumping on and off a trolley.

I know there is something under those islands that needed covering up. The Channels folks promised as part of their plan to do just that. RPA lied for decades about it. During my first few trips I chatted with a passenger who was one of the workers who used a bull dozer to cover the area and he assured me it was to cap a leak of some kind. The Terns were an afterthought.