Lake level will remain at 909.5 feet until spring 2015

YAKIMA – Operators are lowering the water on Lake Osoyoos to its winter level to provide more storage for rain and melting snow, and to prevent shoreline damage from freezing and flooding.

The Washington Department of Ecology will gradually lower the water level over the coming weeks, and expects to have the lake lowered to 909.5 feet by Dec. 1. It will remain at this level until spring.

Ecology manages lake levels at Zosel Dam at Oroville in Okanogan County in Washington state. Between March 1 and about May 1, dam operators maintain the lake at between 911.5 to 912 feet for normal summer operations.

Lake levels are mandated under orders put in place by the International Joint Commission, a board made up of representatives from the United States and Canada.

For more information on the operation of Zosel Dam or Lake Osoyoos, contact Al Josephy at Ecology, 360-407-6456. To track the progress of lake levels in “real-time,” as well as find additional information, go to the U.S. Geological Survey Web page http://waterdata.usgs.gov/wa/nwis/uv?site_no=12439000 for Osoyoos Lake.