The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says its 13 reservoirs in the Willamette Valley are at their lowest levels in six years.
Most of the valley has seen little to no measurable rain since the start of summer. And heat waves have virtually eliminated the remaining snowpack that feeds the Army Corps reservoirs. That’s left the reservoirs at just 55 percent of their normal levels for this time of year.
Dustin Bengtson is the Deputy Project Manager for the Corps’ Willamette Valley operations. He says early last winter, conditions were close to normal. But after January, things took a turn for the worse.
“We just didn’t see water over that critical refill period, and really didn’t see any water going into the spring,” he said.
The Army Corps’ recommends people using the reservoirs for recreational purposes check water levels and usage restrictions online before heading out..
