YAKIMA – A press release by the Bureau of Reclamation states they will begin their annual “flip-flop” operation in late August to aid in successful spawning and incubation of chinook salmon eggs.

The bureau, in the release, urges those recreating or working along Yakima basin rivers to exercise caution, especially in the Yakima River near Thorp. They urge people to avoid areas where spillway water flows into the river, portage around buoys, and stay out of dangerously turbulent flows.

The release also states flows out of Keechelus and Cle Elum reservoirs in the upper Yakima River basin will gradually decrease, while flows from Kachess and Rimrock reservoirs will increase. This operation will affect flows in the Tieton and Naches rivers as well as the upper Yakima, Cle Elum, and Kachess rivers in the upper Yakima basin. In other words, flows from these facilities will transition, or “flip-flop.”

Real-time streamflow information can be found on Reclamation’s website at https://on.doi.gov/3R6Irfw.