Toledo Bend Lake Level

[Cardinal Supporter]

The lake level at Toledo Bend has finally gotten back to where it should be at this time of year. The power companies have been running both generators 24 hours a day. The level has already gone down about 4 + tenths of a foot. How long are they going to keep running the generators or how low do they want to get the lake before they stop generating? I thought they could only generate from May to September. I know they are saying the only reason they are generating now is to keep the lake from over filling. It seems like if they are getting to get profits now that they normally do not get then come the generating season they should have to quit generating earlier to give back, in some way, what they made this winter. Just a thought. I know that will never happen.

[PNG Proud]

From what I've read and heard, Toledo is supposed to be really awesome this year due to the vegitation that was able to grow during the low water levels.  The people in the know are really excited about the upcoming bass season.

[Cardinal Supporter]

I wrote the SRA Louisiana about the lake level and why they were still generating. The lake level this morning is 170.24 feet. This is the response I received from them. At least now I know. They are still generating 24 hours a day.

February 8, 2007

Toledo Bend Project Joint Operation Operating Guide

The current operating guide was adopted in October, 1976. It is the fifth guide adopted by TBPJO based on experience operating under the first four guides. This guide has proven to be the best for all considerations in the basin.

This guide calls for the controlled filling of the reservoir in the January through May time frame. It provides for a target elevation for each month to allow filling of the reservoir to full pool by May and minimize spillway releases. Toledo Bend is not a flood control reservoir, i.e. it does not have a high storage capability above full pool. The above mentioned target elevations are listed below.

January – 168.50

February – 169.00

March – 169.50

April – 170.00

May – 172.00

When the reservoir rises to a level above the target elevation in a given month, we will initiate some generation and will increase that generation as the rate of rise of the reservoir increases up to both units 24 hours per day. As the reservoir begins to fall, we will make adjustments (or not) depending on upstream and downstream conditions, weather forecasts, and how far we are from our target elevation.

Hydro units are designed to operate based on the smallest cross section of the river downstream. At Toledo Bend, that section coincides with the USGS gage at Ruliff, near Deweyville, Texas. What this means is when both units at the power house are running, the river at the Ruliff gage is bank full just from our generation. Any additional rainfall downstream will result in some flooding.

The Spillway Operating Guide for the reservoir calls for initiation of spillway releases when the reservoir reaches an elevation of 172.50 (giving us only 6 inches of storage).

This season, the reservoir rose 11 feet in 13 weeks to an elevation of 172.15 causing generation to start when the elevation exceeded 168.50 in January. Precipitation has been above normal and this is forecast to continue both upstream and downstream of the reservoir, and we are above our target elevation for February and March.

Again, we are not draining the reservoir, we are trying to control the filling of Toledo Bend.

Mike Rankin – Project Engineer

[STINGER]

I was out on Toledo Bend yesterday and the lake is about a foot lower than it was just two weeks ago.  I checked a marker at a local marina and two weeks ago it was just over pool (couple inches) and now that same marker is reading almost a foot low.