After waters raged over Shoshone Falls earlier in the spring, the Bureau of Reclamation cut the flow of the Snake River over the scenic landmark to a trickle. However, the flow is going back up and the falls will again be a spectacle.
Whether a lot or a little water is flowing over Shoshone Falls, the landmark is something to see. However, when the amount of water plummeting more than 200 feet over the falls is greater than 15,000 cubic feet per second, the falls live up to their nickname: “The Niagara of the West.”
Flows over the falls peaked in April around 20,000 cfs but were still impressive in May at 12,000. However, in the middle of May, the volume of water tumbling over the falls was drastically cut to be used for irrigation in the Magic Valley.
The Times News reports flood control releases as the reason why Shoshone Falls will roar again. The Upper Snake River reservoir system is at 94 percent of capacity, and Jackson Lake is 92 percent full. Officials say the high flows over the falls will last while mountain snow continues to melt. They say the Niagara of the West could live up to that name for either a few days or a couple weeks.
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