The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has started to release water from Blakely Mountain Dam to lower Lake Ouachita out of the flood pool, and increased releases from Carpenter and Remmel dams are possible through the end of the month, according to Arkansas Entergy Inc.
The Corps of Engineers said last week it had closed some campsites and boat ramps on Lake Ouachita due to high water in certain areas, after one of the fastest rises in the lake's level on record.
According to the National Weather Service, 4 to more than 10 inches of rainfall was measured in a five-day period through Feb. 25; in many locations, that equated to two months of rain in just a few days. In Garland County, Hot Springs recorded 9.82 inches of rainfall during that time. Some surrounding areas received higher amounts, including Mount Ida with 10.55 inches of rain.
The heavy rainfall in February and early March caused Lake Ouachita to rise several feet above the flood pool, which has caused flow releases to be adjusted, Entergy's Hydro Operations office said in an email Tuesday evening.
The Corps of Engineers will be releasing about 10,000 cubic feet of water per second from Blakely Dam until the lake levels drop out of the flood pool, Entergy said.
As a result, the releases from Carpenter and Remmel dams, which are managed by Entergy, will also be around 10,000 cfs to maintain the levels of lakes Hamilton and Catherine, and the releases could possibly continue until the end of March, Entergy said.
"Please understand any additional rainfall received this month will only extend these increased releases," the email said.
According to rivergages.com, a website maintained by the Corps' Water Control Center, Lake Ouachita was at 583.42 feet above mean sea level on Wednesday afternoon, having fallen 0.21 feet in the preceding 24 hours. The flood pool starts at 578 feet msl.
While the lake is still well below its record-high stage of 590.1 feet msl, data on the Corps' website showed the pool level had risen 16 feet in a month -- around 14 feet since the series of storms that started around Feb. 20 -- as of last week.
Ironically, in October, the Corps had urged visitors to exercise caution in all water-based activities on Lake Ouachita due to falling water level, which at the time was the lowest since 2015. The lake went even lower than that in December, reaching 567.25 feet msl on Dec. 16, according to data on its website. The lake had not been that low since Nov. 18, 1985, when it reached 567.20 feet msl.
All camping in Corps campgrounds on Lake Ouachita is on a first-come, first-served basis until May 1, according to Amy Shultz, a natural resource specialist with the Lake Ouachita Field Office.
"So no one has reservations for spring break ... however, we do hope to have everything back open by spring break," Shultz said in an email.
Local on 03/08/2018