USBR issues safety warning to boaters on Lake Roosevelt

Boaters on Lake Roosevelt should be cautious because of debris from failed log booms upstream, the Bureau of Reclamation warned Tuesday.

High river velocities and low reservoir levels at Lake Roosevelt have resulted in a failed log boom at the mouth of Kettle River, approximately 105 miles upstream of Grand Coulee Dam. The pressure of the water flow and accumulated debris pushing against the log booms caused a break in two places.

Reclamation is advising people boating on Kettle River and Lake Roosevelt to exercise caution because of debris floating into the reservoir from the failure. The public will see more debris in the river and reservoir than normal.

Reclamation says it will safely repair the log boom when river velocities lower and the lake elevation levels rise — this may take several weeks. Currently, the river velocities are too high to safely attempt to repair the log boom.

These current conditions and debris exposures could remain a concern and safety consideration until the lake has approached full pool.

The river was flowing at 178,300 cubic feet per second (cfs) at 11 p.m. Tuesday. Average flows over Tuesday were over 161,000 cfs, compared to 63,000 cfs on May 1, according to government readings online, a 155% increase.

The reservoir’s elevation above sea level was 1,261.6 feet, about 28.4 feet from completely full.