Starting Monday, a lot more water will be flowing through the Boise River and officials are urging caution for anyone recreating in and around the river.
River flows will nearly triple from Monday to Wednesday, going from 700 to 1,900 cubic feet per second. Bureau of Reclamation spokeswoman Christine Schuldheisz said the additional snowmelt coming through demands extra caution.
“The river will be running faster, more swiftly, and it'll still be pretty cold,” she said.
This represents an annual effort to aid salmon migration in the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers by increasing the amount of water coming through Lucky Peak Dam. Despite the increase, Schuldheisz said the river will still be well below flood stage.
“Because we didn't release much for flood control this year, the public will notice the flows going up this year,” she said.
Flows will remain high through May and then come back down to around 700 cubic feet per second as the traditional Boise River float season begins in June or early July.