High flows coming down Green River

The Green River may look a lot higher than usual during the next week.

The Fontenelle Dam is schedule to increase flows into the river to mitigate the high amount of water resulting from snowstorms occurring earlier this year.

Releases increased Tuesday at 2,700 cubic feet per second and are projected to increase to 5,500 cubic feet per second Monday morning.

Judy Roderick, coordinator for Sweetwater County Emergency Management, said the flows are higher than usual during this time of year, but isn’t higher than flows seen during the late spring and early summer months.

While a lot of the higher snowpack hasn’t started melting, heavy snowfall has impacted many watersheds throughout the state. A synopsis from the National Weather Service states snowpack through Western Wyoming is much higher than average for mid-March. Also, the NWS expects a moderate to high potential for flooding to occur in the Upper Green River Basin, as well as the Little and Big Wind Watersheds, the Snake River Basin and the North and South forks of the Shoshone River Basin.

Don Hartley, a member of Communities Protecting the Green, told the Sweetwater County Commissioners the amount of water the area received is expected to increase the Flaming Gorge’s depth by 13 feet.

Roderick said she doesn’t anticipate flooding to occur along the Green River as dams control its flows.

“We are more fortunate than other counties because the main waterway is controlled by dams,” she said.