When will we see an increase in flow on the Gunpowder River?
In the shop we are asked this question almost daily. These lower flows the past six months have resulted in tough fishing, but on the bright side it has allowed Prettyboy to gain a lot of water back. I have monitored the levels in Prettyboy in March using a camera to document the rise of water against the dam wall.I snapped this photo below on March 7th 2008. The elevation of the water level at that time was roughly 12 feet from the point of spillover.
I snapped this photo below on March 19th after two days of good rain earlier in the week. By looking at the funnel shaped concrete turrets on the dam, it is easy to see the water rose a few feet in less than two weeks.
The photo below shows the most recent levels in Prettyboy as of March 30th. By comparing all three photos and doing some guess work there remains less than eight feet to be gained until spillover. A couple of heavy April showers in the region may help raise levels in the reservoir, and lead to spillover.
