So I'm sure this has been addressed in past forums, but why do we not have a better release schedule or relationship with the dam operators/owners on the Green?
It seems like out east there's lots of cooperation for releases. And locally we have scheduled releases on Chelan and Sultan (that I know of).
What's the history on this? Thanks!!

A more detailed explanation involves all the municipalities and various stakeholders downstream of the Green, most notably the tribes. The round table of interests is a lot more complex than the other examples cited, and our user group (whitewater boaters) is but a tiny sliver, proportionally on this pie chart.

Winter time Green flows are dependent on those huge Pineapple Express events that sweep up through here and dump an atmospheric ocean upon us, swamping the fragile and geomorphologically threatened Howard Hansen reservoir in a matter of days and thus requiring them to release for a few days or more.

But this winter we haven't been getting those shipments of Pineapple Juice like we did last winter. Yeah we had about three consequential spikes of highwater, indeed I remember a weekend or two of quality flows on El Rio Verde this fall accompanied by those indian summer tempertures...quite awesome.

No big rain events to fill Howard's Cup means no Green flows for a boater; unless one wishes to grind some plastic off of thier haul at 900-1200 through the rubble fields of a shallow, scratchy U-shaped flat pan of a river bed.

We are having a good winter, though with these consistent snow deliveries. The opposite pattern, in fact that allows winter time Green flows to flourish. Not saying we paddlers don't ever have our cake and eat it too, yes there are those fantastic Snow high/ Rain Low patterns that come through on occasion, often followed up with awesome Rain-On-Snow events that can make the Green go SuperNova with Highwater Goodness for several days at a time...That sh*t will run for a week!

The important thing is our snowpack is looking good. So there's a blessing to count. Even if, in this scenario, it is proving to be at the expense of the Green.

Maybe sometime in April or March we'll get a spate of good Green releases

Edited by jP - 22 Dec 2016 at 4:55pm