The Corps is now beginning to do their winter drawdowns from the reservoirs so the cfs at the Lecompton gauge and at Bowersock is predicted to be around 10,000 cfs for the next 10 to 14 days.  After that (depending on precipitation) we should have much lower flows.  It could possibly be a good window to work on the dam and have FERC visit but it could also be absolutely bittterly cold so we’ll see how it goes.  If we could get the dam repairs done, get the missing flashboards replaced, and replace the leaking Obermeyer bags it would make for a lot better spring for us.  We are hoping for dry weather through December (okay so maybe we could get a few inches to play in between Christmas and New Years!) and then if we could have a nice warm spell in January that would be great.  Warm is all relative though.  Right now it is pretty chilly out there.

We spoke with the Corps of Engineers today and it looks like we won’t have a window to work on the dam until mid-January or more likely February.  The Corps keeps water in the reservoirs for waterfowl season until the lakes start to freeze, at which point they drop the levels to try to minimize freezing damage to docks, marinas, etc.  Between the natural flows and reservoir management it doesn’t look like we’ll get our window for work any time soon.  Both the City of Lawrence and Bowersock have planned repairs that require the river CFS to be around 2,000.  Doing dam repairs and replacing missing doors in February could be a pretty brutal task, but if we don’t do it before the rains start in March it is likely we wouldn’t be able to get out on the dam again until next August.