The Wyoming Area Office of the Bureau of Reclamation in Mills, Wyoming, at the request of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGF), has scheduled a series of fluctuating flows in the North Platte River downstream of Gray Reef Dam. The purpose of the fluctuations is to improve trout reproduction by flushing fine sediments that have accumulated over the summer from spawning gravels in the river, according to John H. Lawson, Wyoming Area Manager.

On October 15, 2007, flows in the river below Gray Reef Dam will fluctuate from 500 cubic feet per second (cfs) to 4,000 cfs and will be made according to the following schedule:

HOURS	GRAY REEF OUTFLOWS (cfs)
00:01 to 01:00 a.m.	500
01:00 to 03:00 a.m.	2,000
03:00 to 07:00 a.m.	4,000
07:00 to 08:00 a.m.	3,000
08:00 to 09:00 a.m.	2,000
09:00 to 10:00 a.m.	1,000
10:00 to midnight	500

This schedule will be repeated again on October 16, October 17, October 18, and October 19, 2007. After completing the flushing flow on October 19, 2007, the flows below Gray Reef Dam will return to a winter flow of 500 cfs.

The flushing flows are expected to clean the spawning gravels of fine sediment which has accumulated over the summer. The fluctuations in the river flow will be achieved without loss of power generation and the water released from Alcova Reservoir will be restored downstream in Glendo Reservoir.

The public is urged to use caution during this period of rapid fluctuation of flows below Gray Reef Dam.