Tuesday, March 18, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
The action Tuesday will allow public agencies downstream from Lake Tahoe to assess damage caused by the New Year's Day flood, according to federal Water Master Garry Stone. Continued high water on lower stretches of the Truckee River had prevented the agencies from inspecting the damage.
The reduction is the first since Stone opened all 17 gates at a storage dam here on Dec. 11 to cope with near-record precipitation during December.
Because heavy precipitation continued in January, the lake continued to swell, peaking on Jan. 5 at an elevation of 6,229.39 feet, five inches above the legal maximum. The level was the highest the lake had reached in 70 years.
By Monday, however, the lake had fallen about 20 inches, to 6,227.67 feet. The falling lake level provided the lake with enough capacity to accommodate a typical spring runoff, expected to begin in about two weeks.
Next Tuesday, Stone will increase the water releases, which should then remain above normal until the spring runoff is complete.
While the amount of water released from Lake Tahoe, as well as from a series of reservoirs farther down the river, is under the water master's control, Stone cautioned downstream agencies to keep a close eye on the weather. Sidestreams, which are adding substantial flows to the Truckee River below Lake Tahoe, aren't controlled by dams and can rise suddenly in wet weather.
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