Savage River Reservoir being refilled!!

skeeter

skeeter

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There were two separate topics awhile back about the Savage River Dam Repair. In case no one saw, the two upstream gates are now complete and refilling began last Friday. Just in the nick of time with the forecast of some really serious flooding threats forecasted for the weekend.

http://times-news.com/local/x1897228995/Savage-dam-repairs-two-weeks-ahead-of-schedule
 
Thanks Skeeter. Good link. It really was just in the nick of time.
 
Sounds good!!! I hope all this rain serves as a silt remover. If it keeps going like it has, the reservoir should be filled in no time.
 
yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Any silt from when the gates were gone should be flushed out this weekend.
 
I've been checking from time to time. When I last checked it was running around 250 cfs below the dam. Upstream at Barton where it is a very small stream, the gauge hasnt been updated in a while, and was well over 2,500, but that might be difficult to interpret.

They run whitewater events there so eventually the corps and the biologists can put their heads together and come up with a plan.

I hope.
 
Actually with the reservoir filling and the gates closed, they have shut off any chance for additional sand and silt entering the downstream section. The plan is that if they get that thing filled and there is more than enough water (which I hope there will be) they will begin having large releases to wash the sand and silt downstream. The only thing is I think they have to wait to finish the 2 downstream gates, when that will be, I don't know? Hopefully soon:)
 
In the absence of first hand reports, those interested may want to check this site occasionally which is managed by the corps.

http://www.nab-wc.usace.army.mil/northBranch.html

I would imagine it can be tricky to have to manage the Jennings Randolph flow on the one hand, and the Savage River flow on the other during these big events.

My rss had an article the other day quoting the Upper Potomac River Commission that a flush for the sake of the bugs and fish would be done eventually, but maybe this event served that purpose.

We'll see.
 
Dam is full. Flush is on!

http://www.nab-wc.usace.army.mil/mapserver/SAVAG.html
 
Wow that is a sweet link albatross! I like how you can see right around mid-day saturday the pool reached the max elev. And then a couple hours later they let her rip open and the amount of inflow was still able to maintain max pool. Thats great.

IMHO, I think the Savage should be fishable by mid to late summer after the trout return and seek refuge in the tailwater, as opposed to hanging out in the warmer NB.
 
I think the water is coming over the spillway since the impoundment filled. Look at the yellow line on the graph.
 
From the Maryland DNR




Fisheries Service closely monitoring the situation
Annapolis, MD (February 8, 2010) — The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Fisheries Service is closely monitoring the fish population at the Savage River Reservoir during the repair of the outlet gates, which currently present a serious public safety concern. The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) reported draining of the Reservoir on January 31, to give contractors for the Upper Potomac River Commission (UPRC) access to the large gates, which are urgently in need of repair.

“The drawdown of the reservoir and disruptions to the system were unavoidable,” said Assistant Fisheries Director Don Cosden. “The DNR Fisheries Service is committed to restoring over time the reservoir fishery and the excellent tailwater trout fishery that anglers have enjoyed in the Savage River system over the years.”

As anticipated, the draining process has substantially impaired river conditions with the flow of accumulated sediment from the dam. During the drawdown process, fisheries personnel observed accumulations of organic and inorganic materials downstream.

Fish kill surveys in the Savage River Tailwater area have revealed a handful of dead shiners, sculpin, yellow perch and blue gills from the reservoir. While no dead trout have been observed at this time, it is expected that the high turbidity conditions will impact the trout population and the aquatic insects that are the base of the trout food chain.

DNR biologists will continue to assess these impacts as the weather and water conditions allow. Restoration plans in coordination with UPRC will follow and will likely include the use of high flows from the reservoir to clear sediment from important gravel and cobble bottoms, where tout spawn and invertebrate food sources hide. The agency may also restock brook trout and invertebrates from un-impacted areas upstream and plans to restock the reservoir as the appropriate fish become available from the state hatcheries.

The requirement to repair the gates came as a result of inspections in 2007, which uncovered the problems with the ageing gates. A $3.92 million grant under President Barack Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was awarded for the project.

The removal of the old gates and installation of new ones will occur throughout February and early March. Refilling of the reservoir is expected to start by mid-March after repairs are inspected and approved.

While the impacts to the fisheries are extremely unfortunate, the broken gates presented a serious public safety concern. The Maryland Department of the Environment’s Dam Safety Program ensures all dams in Maryland are designed, constructed, operated and maintained safely to prevent dam failures and the consequences of failure.

In June 2009 the Environmental Protection Agency awarded the Maryland Department of the Environment a $121.6 million to fund Maryland water quality and drinking water projects under President Barack Obama's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). ARRA funding will enable construction of water infrastructure projects that are estimated to create hundreds of jobs, and that will protect public health, improve the environment, and help clean up the Chesapeake Bay and Maryland waterways.
 
Just an update from Savage River Outfitters.

"April 6 , 2010: Good News! Repairs on the Dam are nearly complete and the reservoir is full of cold water and the river is now very clear...at 120 cfs this morning..perfect level. This last week the fishing has been very good...with the fish keying in on small midges and olives. .From everything I have seen, the trout may have survived better than expected..as well as the bugs. . Check the usgs website links for up to date info. Water warming up now, with temps at 50 F and above.now . and seeing more and more surface feeding every day."
 
So reports of the demise of the Savage were greatly exaggerated?
 
But... whatshisname got really angry and said that people that doubted the severity had no idea what they were talking about!! Surely old whatshisname couldn't have been wrong!?! :lol:

Great news. I will have to get down that way sometime.
 
Jack,

Just my opinion, but I think when there are opposing proponents to any issue the outcome is always far better. Things work out for the best when there are those voices that believe the negative ideologies. Not that I believed that the Savage would be gone forever, there was a good chance things might have been far worse. For instance, I think without mother nature dumping the 200"+ of snow and that melt event coupled with that rain we had; this story would have a different ending, at least temporarily. Luckily all that sediment ended up in the Chesapeake.:)
 
I just think sometimes folks are very eager to conclude that someone has sabotaged their recreation. This runs the gamut from poachers taking all the fish from the creek to kayakers putting the fish down for hours (or is it weeks?), to harvesters cropping the populations at 7", etc. etc. blah, blah, blah. I like to wait to see the real effects of these disturbances before getting "up in arms" about them. I don't think anything is lost in the battle to advocate our interests in making sure there is something to be outraged about first.
 
Jack,

I agree with your general perception that there are those among this community of flyfishers who perhaps "cry wolf" too often. I do think there was legitimate concern for the near-term abundance of wild trout on the Savage, however I don't think there was any doubt that the Savage fishery was going to bounce back from this episode. I think good fishing this year means we dodged a bullet.
 
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