State water agency recommends releasing water from Mackay Reservoir

Recent mild temperatures are still prompting flooding concerns. One of those concerns comes from the Idaho Department of Water Resources.

Director Gary Spackman tells KIDK Eyewitness News 3 anchor Todd Kunz that the department and the State Dam Safety Manager – John Falk – monitor all the dams and reservoirs in the state. One they are watching closely is the Mackay Reservoir, not because of the dam itself, but rather all the water in the snowpack stored in the watershed above the reservoir.

The department recently sent a letter to the Big Lost River Irrigation District.

“There is currently enough snow in the Big Lost River Watershed above Mackay Dam to completely fill the reservoir with melt water many times over. The purpose of this letter is to encourage you (irrigation district) to release as much water as possible from the Mackay Reservoir without flooding downstream properties,” Spackman by phone.

Spackman and Falk said the snowpack above the reservoir is 180 percent of normal and the forecast snow water amount is seven times what the reservoir can hold. The release of water is just an encouraged suggestion at this point. This is just a proactive measure.

The department meets each Friday just to stay on top of the situation, statewide.