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10b4me
Social climber
Lida Junction
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jun 21, 2018 - 03:13pm PT
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PREPAREDNESS UPDATE:
HIGH WATER FLOW
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power will be performing emergency repair work on the Control Gorge Power Plant beginning June 26th, with a projected completion date of September 5th. Water being released from the Crowley Reservoir will enter the Owens River at the Middle Gorge Power Plant and flow downstream through the Owens Gorge and into the Pleasant Valley Reservoir.
Inyo County residents and visitors can expect extremely high water flow in the Owens River below Middle Gorge Power Plant. “Normal water flow rates are at 55 cubic feet per second, cfs. During this time period, the flows could be as high as 500cfs. Once the higher flow rates have started they will remain at these elevated levels until the Control Gorge Power Plant is returned to operation in September,” stated Jon Crook, LADWP.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Jun 21, 2018 - 04:47pm PT
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Get your pack rafts ready!
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Jun 21, 2018 - 05:36pm PT
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So that water is going to be coming down those penstocks by DWP and Flash Flood? I don't see any other way they can insert that added flow from the central gorge power plan on downstream.
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Bob Harrington
climber
Bishop, California
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Jun 21, 2018 - 11:12pm PT
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Right, the high flows are below the Middle Gorge Power Plant, so the river crossings at Warning Signs and below will not be possible. As I understand it, flows upstream of the power plant should be in the range of what we climbers would consider normal. The full press release is on the Inyo Sheriff's web page.
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Bad Climber
Trad climber
The Lawless Border Regions
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Jun 22, 2018 - 11:29am PT
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Whoa. The Warning Signs bridge is pretty high. It will be interesting to see if it's submerged. Bridge to Big Tower was raised, too. Anyone know how big the flows were last year? CFS? At least middle, inner and upper Gorge will be accessible.
Bring yer snorkels.
BAd
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Jun 22, 2018 - 12:56pm PT
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Perhaps as much as 9 times the flow. Those pipes are gonna be rumbling. I'm not sure I would want to hang out right there. I guess they know what they're doing, but didn't they blow out one of those pipes uphill from there a few years back, shut off the flow at the bottom too fast?
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Jun 22, 2018 - 01:22pm PT
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Kris, that is how the gorge got rewatered. When they blew the pipe they tried running the water down an old creek bed rather than in the gorge. Someone noticed and the DWP was immediately sued because the only time you can run water outside its natural bed is in pipe or sluice. So they were forced to run it back into the gorge. A day later and people were planting trout in there and they were forced to keep the gorge watered to support the trout population. We should all thank the people of Bishop who took those steps because the gorge is a much nicer place to climb with water and greenery in it.
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Chief
climber
The NW edge of The Hudson Bay
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Jun 22, 2018 - 05:48pm PT
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I wonder how the trout will fare with the higher flow regimes?
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Jun 22, 2018 - 07:01pm PT
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We should all thank the people of Bishop who took those steps because the gorge is a much nicer place to climb with water and greenery in it.
Word.
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justthemaid
climber
Jim Henson's Basement
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Jun 24, 2018 - 06:13am PT
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double word^^^
Access Update: MrE was down in the Lower Gorge yesterday- the new (high-water) crossings from the plant down
are not under water at the moment.
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Bad Climber
Trad climber
The Lawless Border Regions
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Jun 24, 2018 - 12:48pm PT
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xCon for the win!
BAd
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F10
Trad climber
Bishop
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Jun 24, 2018 - 07:57pm PT
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Climb above the the Central Power Plant.
Pretty warm down there now mid day
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Eric Beck
Sport climber
Bishop, California
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Aug 14, 2018 - 07:26pm PT
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It was a little cooler today and I felt restless so I walked down the south entrance road. The river was the highest I have ever seen it. The near end of the bridge at the bottom of the hill has water flowing over it. The far end appears to have detached from the bolts and is a foot right of where it should be.
The next bridge, I think in Erik's area has water lapping over it and is covered in green slime, looks treacherous.
Driving back to Bishop, White Mtn has new snow at the top.
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justthemaid
climber
Jim Henson's Basement
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Aug 14, 2018 - 08:55pm PT
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Thanks for the bump Eric - we thought we had the high water crossings high enough. Not high enough obviously. We will fix the BT bridge once the flow goes down - that one has been moved a few times now to get it further off the river. Appreciate the heads-up!
Here's some pics Erik took a couple weeks ago - still the same, it sounds like:
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phylp
Trad climber
Upland, CA
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Aug 14, 2018 - 10:38pm PT
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Hoh man that’s some big water.
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Bad Climber
Trad climber
The Lawless Border Regions
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Aug 15, 2018 - 06:55am PT
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Dayum! Thanks for posting those pics, Maidy.
BAd
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Hoots
climber
Mammoth Lakes, CA
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Aug 15, 2018 - 07:37am PT
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justthemaid
climber
Jim Henson's Basement
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Aug 15, 2018 - 07:43am PT
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Whoa^^^ Erik and were wondering if anyone ever did that. Seems pretty freaky given the large amount of debris blocking the river in certain sections.
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i'm gumby dammit
Sport climber
da ow
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Aug 15, 2018 - 07:50am PT
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^the bridges for instance
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crusher
climber
Santa Monica, CA
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Aug 15, 2018 - 12:37pm PT
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Thanks for the pictures. Never did I imagine I'd see that much water in the river...wow!
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