Why in the world would you release water from a dam during a flood?
Gauges monitoring water flow in the Russian River show a sharp increase in the amount released from Lake Mendocino for three hours Sunday morning, drawing scrutiny from residents along the river who closely monitor flows during floods.
The figures make no sense, said Pam Jeane, assistant general manager at the Sonoma County Water Agency, which was in charge of releases at Coyote Dam on Sunday. The agency did not release any water from the dam Sunday, she said, leading Jeane and her staff to conclude the gauge malfunctioned.
Sonoma County Storm Flooding
Kimberly Masklyne of Forestville used Eastside Road in Windsor to try to get to work, but flooded her car instead, Sunday Dec. 2, 2012. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2012
Kimberly Masklyne of Forestville used Eastside Road in Windsor to try to get to work, but flooded her car instead, Sunday Dec. 2, 2012. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2012
Scott Zirbel, left and Torre Farmer of the Sonoma County Bridge Department helped to clean-up a closed Mark West Springs Road due to a mudslide, Sunday Dec. 2, 2012 in Santa Rosa. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2012
Scott Zirbel of the Sonoma County Bridge Department inspects a mudslide that closed Mark West Springs Road, Sunday Dec. 2, 2012 in Santa Rosa. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2012
Scott Zirbel, left and Torre Farmer of the Sonoma County Bridge Department helped to clean-up a closed Mark West Springs Road due to a mudslide, Sunday Dec. 2, 2012 in Santa Rosa. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2012
County Crews clean-up a closed Mark West Springs Road due to a mudslide, Sunday Dec. 2, 2012 in Santa Rosa. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2012
Torre Farmer, left and Scott Zirbel, of the Sonoma County Bridge Department helped to clean-up a closed Mark West Springs Road due to a mudslide, Sunday Dec. 2, 2012 in Santa Rosa. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2012
Utility crews work in the wind and rain to repair a power pole that was damaged by the overnight storm along Hall Road in Santa Rosa, Sunday Dec. 2, 2012. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2012
Scott Zirbel of the Sonoma County Bridge Department attempts to make his way off of a mudslide that closed Mark West Springs Road, Sunday Dec. 2, 2012 in Santa Rosa. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2012
Corey Larsen with the Rincon Valley Fire Department uses a chain saw to remove a small tree that fell precariously close to vehicles, Sunday Dec. 2, 2012 on Lasso Lane in Larkfield. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2012
Cars plow through flood waters on Shiloh Road In Windsor, Sunday Dec. 2, 2012 after overnight rains wreaked havoc on area roads. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2012
Shiloh Road in Windsor was flooded by overnight rains, Sunday Dec. 2, 2012 in Santa Rosa. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2012
Milton Lopez of Windsor attempted to drive through flood waters on Mark West Station Road at Starr Road in Windsor, Friday Nov. 30, 2012 but stalled out. A good samaritan, in white truck, eventually towed him out (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2012
Motorists navigate Piner Road in the 3000 block, Friday Nov. 30, 2012 in Santa Rosa. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2012
Water on both sides of the Russian River at Hopland shut down Highway 175 to Lake County on Sunday, December 2, 2012. Local resident Juan Ignacio takes photos of the water.
(Jeff Kan Lee/ The Press Democrat)
PG&E crews works on downed lines that shut down Hall Road west of Santa Rosa on Sunday, December 2, 2012.
(Jeff Kan Lee/ The Press Democrat)
A tree up rooted a garage and narrowly missed the house at a Robinson Avenue property in Sebastopol on Sunday, December 2, 2012.
(Jeff Kan Lee/ The Press Democrat)
The Russian River roars around a rock at the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge on Highway 101 south of Hopland on Sunday, December 2, 2012.
(Jeff Kan Lee/ The Press Democrat)
The Russian River ran high south of Hopland on Sunday, December 2, 2012.
(Jeff Kan Lee/ The Press Democrat)
Santa Rosa city workers Ryan Dodds and Doug Waits clear a fallen tree that shut down Wright Road on Sunday, December 2, 2012.
(Jeff Kan Lee/ The Press Democrat)
on Friday, 11 30, 2012.
Robert St. Andre of Rohnert Park pushes his flooded vehicle out of the water at Rohnert Park Expressway and Stony Point Road, Friday Nov. 30, 2012. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2012
on Friday, 11 30, 2012.
A Motorist plows through flood waters from Copeland Creek, Friday Nov. 30, 2012 on Avram Ave. in Rohnert Park. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2012
on Friday, 11 30, 2012.
Motorists plow through flood waters from Copeland Creek, Friday Nov. 30, 2012 on Avram Ave. in Rohnert Park. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2012
on Friday, 11 30, 2012.
A Motorist thinks twice about fording Rohnert Park Expressway, Friday Nov. 30, 2012 in Rohnert Park. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2012
on Friday, 11 30, 2012.
A Motorist thinks twice about fording Rohnert Park Expressway, Friday Nov. 30, 2012 in Rohnert Park as a Rincon Valley fire truck rolls through. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2012
on Friday, 11 30, 2012.
A Rincon Valley fire engine fords Rohnert Park Expressway, Friday Nov. 30, 2012 in Rohnert Park. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2012
A woman crosses a flooded street on her way to Copeland Creek Apartments,, Friday Nov. 30, 2012 in Rohnert Park. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2012
A motorist rolls through a flooded intersection at Copeland Creek Apartments, background, Friday Nov. 30, 2012 in Rohnert Park. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2012
A motorist rolls through a flooded intersection at Copeland Creek Apartments, background, Friday Nov. 30, 2012 in Rohnert Park. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2012
Rohnert Park City Works employee Warren Naumann blocks traffic on Redwood Drive, Friday Nov. 30, 2012 in Rohnert Park. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2012
Rohnert Park City Works employees Bill Feeny and Craig Irving clean out a storm drain at Martin and Redwood Drive, Friday Nov. 30, 2012 in Rohnert Park. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 201
A tow driver prepares to remove a vehicle caught in a creek on Slusser Road near River Road on Friday, November 30, 2012.
(Jeff Kan Lee/ The Press Democrat)
Creek water running along Windsor Road on Friday, November 30, 2012.
(Jeff Kan Lee/ The Press Democrat)
A large eucalyptus tree crushed the 1994 Southwind motor home of Scott and Jennifer Miller on Lynch Road in Sebastopol Road, Friday Nov. 30, 2012. after the latest storm rolled through. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2012
A late morning downpour caused runoff from a downspout from Highway 101 near the Santa Rosa Plaza, Friday Nov. 30, 2012 in Santa Rosa. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2012
A road sign on Highway 12 near Freestone bore the brunt of the latest storm to hit Sonoma County, Friday Nov. 30, 2012. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2012
A small sailboat tipped over in Bodega Bay, Friday Nov. 30, 2012. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2012
on Friday, 11 30, 2012.
A man who did not want to be identified covers up a t a bus stop in Santa Rosa, Friday Nov. 30, 2012 near downtown. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2012
Gleason Beach is awash in foam from a high surf, Friday Nov. 30, 2012 north of Bodega Bay. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2012
Gleason Beach is awash in foam from a high surf, Friday Nov. 30, 2012 north of Bodega Bay. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2012
Flooding on Redwood Drive in Rohnert Park on Friday, Nov. 30, 2012. COURTESY OF BRYAN ANDERSON
A downed tree on Melita Road in Santa Rosa around 2:30 p.m. Friday. Photo by Susi
Water flowing in creek above Armstrong Woods. Barbara DeCarly
The east side of Alexander Valley Road, flooded at the Russian River in Healdsburg on Sunday afternoon, Dec. 2. Brian Shapiro
Downed Douglas firs across Armstrong Woods Road above Armstrong Woods State Park. Barbara DeCarly
Joe Fague unclogs one side of the storm drain on Quarry Street in Petaluma on Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012. COURTESY PHOTO
"We are a little bit mystified," Jeane said Monday. "We are thinking those numbers are not real."
The gauge meant to measure the release through Coyote Dam to the east fork of the Russian River showed a jump from 49 cubic feet per second to 1,532 cfs at 8 a.m. Sunday, before going back down to 56 cfs by 11 a.m.
The east fork joins the Russian River's west fork, which was already running at 11,700 cfs.
The Water Agency was in charge of Lake Mendocino releases at that time, because the lake level was still below the flood pool, the area that is set aside to hold water to lessen the impact of storms. The reservoir did not reach that level until 8 p.m. Sunday, 12 hours after the gauge reported a spike.
Downstream, swollen by rains in its 100-square-mile watershed, the Russian River was overflowing its banks in Ukiah, making the Perkins Street and Talmage Road crossings impassable.
Cars that were trying to cross were being washed away.
"There was no way to get from the east side to the west side for a period of time," said Sean White, executive director of the Russian River Flood Control and Conservation District. "I was at Perkins; there were some floating cars. There is always someone who has to drive through the big stand of flood water and doesn't make it."
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At Hopland, the river was raging at 15,000 cfs, which is below flood stage but still inundates some low-lying roads.
Jeane said the Water Agency didn't order any releases from the lake. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which controlled the valves, said its operators made no releases.
Further downstream, gauges in the Russian River at Talmage and at Hopland did not register any spikes, Jeane said. Those gauges should have detected a similar spike in flows if water had been released from the dam, she said.
"I have never seen it before. It looks very much like a flood release to me, except for the fact that it is very steep," said Jeane, referring to a graph of the releases. "It doesn't make any sense to me."
The gauge used to measure the releases from Lake Mendocino lake is a pressure transducer, which calculates the release by sensing water depth and river flow.
White agreed that a malfunction would be the logical explanation.
"It looks like a gauge error," White said. "There are other errors on the gauges that day. If you look at the Hopland gauge, there are flat spots on it. The system is not perfect."
You can reach Staff Writer Bob Norberg at 521-5206 or bob.norberg@pressdemocrat.com.
Why in the world would you release water from a dam during a flood?
Gauges monitoring water flow in the Russian River show a sharp increase in the amount released from Lake Mendocino for three hours Sunday morning, drawing scrutiny from residents along the river who closely monitor flows during floods.
The figures make no sense, said Pam Jeane, assistant general manager at the Sonoma County Water Agency, which was in charge of releases at Coyote Dam on Sunday. The agency did not release any water from the dam Sunday, she said, leading Jeane and her staff to conclude the gauge malfunctioned.
"We are a little bit mystified," Jeane said Monday. "We are thinking those numbers are not real."
The gauge meant to measure the release through Coyote Dam to the east fork of the Russian River showed a jump from 49 cubic feet per second to 1,532 cfs at 8 a.m. Sunday, before going back down to 56 cfs by 11 a.m.
The east fork joins the Russian River's west fork, which was already running at 11,700 cfs.
The Water Agency was in charge of Lake Mendocino releases at that time, because the lake level was still below the flood pool, the area that is set aside to hold water to lessen the impact of storms. The reservoir did not reach that level until 8 p.m. Sunday, 12 hours after the gauge reported a spike.
Downstream, swollen by rains in its 100-square-mile watershed, the Russian River was overflowing its banks in Ukiah, making the Perkins Street and Talmage Road crossings impassable.
Cars that were trying to cross were being washed away.
"There was no way to get from the east side to the west side for a period of time," said Sean White, executive director of the Russian River Flood Control and Conservation District. "I was at Perkins; there were some floating cars. There is always someone who has to drive through the big stand of flood water and doesn't make it."
At Hopland, the river was raging at 15,000 cfs, which is below flood stage but still inundates some low-lying roads.
Jeane said the Water Agency didn't order any releases from the lake. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which controlled the valves, said its operators made no releases.
Further downstream, gauges in the Russian River at Talmage and at Hopland did not register any spikes, Jeane said. Those gauges should have detected a similar spike in flows if water had been released from the dam, she said.
"I have never seen it before. It looks very much like a flood release to me, except for the fact that it is very steep," said Jeane, referring to a graph of the releases. "It doesn't make any sense to me."
The gauge used to measure the releases from Lake Mendocino lake is a pressure transducer, which calculates the release by sensing water depth and river flow.
White agreed that a malfunction would be the logical explanation.
"It looks like a gauge error," White said. "There are other errors on the gauges that day. If you look at the Hopland gauge, there are flat spots on it. The system is not perfect."
You can reach Staff Writer Bob Norberg at 521-5206 or bob.norberg@pressdemocrat.com.
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