BOISE, Idaho – The Walla Walla District will be starting a rehabilitation project for the Turner Gulch boat ramp on Sept. 1, which will require Lucky Peak Lake to draw down starting the third week of July, shortening boating season by about a month.
This project, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will rehabilitate damaged and unsafe portions of the 70-year-old and nearly 1,000-foot-long concrete ramp, implement measures to reduce erosion and siltation of the ramp edge, and generally ensure continued availability of the ramp for critical operations and maintenance activities of Lucky Peak Dam. The work will provide boaters with a safer ramp to use for low-water, off-season recreation.
Lowering the lake 125 ft to allow for construction will take approximately six weeks. As in prior years, the lake level will fall about two to three feet per day, dependent on prevailing irrigation demands. Falling lake elevations may present obstacles and unexpected stranding hazards for lake users. The project is expected to last two to three months and be completed before the onset of freezing temperatures.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hopes to award the contract for this rehabilitation project in February, giving water managers plenty of notice for coordination over the summer. The Turner Gulch boat ramp project will not affect the filling of the reservoirs, however, in contrast to prior years, Lucky Peak Lake will begin draining to supply irrigation demands earlier in the season instead of following behind the Arrowrock and Anderson Ranch reservoirs.
USACE and the Bureau of Reclamation will coordinate management of the Lucky Peak, Arrowrock and Anderson Ranch reservoirs to optimize water storage in the three-dam system.
For questions and additional information, please contact the Walla Walla District Office of Public Affairs at 509-527-7020 or by email at [email protected].
