Thank you all for getting me on track here!
I called the TRRP and had a long conversation with Chad. The verbiage used in the general description of the Winter Flow Variability Proposal is somewhat confusing. I was under the impression that the Bureau would be shifting its high-flow regime that normally begins in April to December 15. That is not the case at all.
As I understand it (and someone please correct me if I am wrong), if a major storm event brings the river to 4,500 cfs at the North Fork gauge at any time during the period of December 15 to February 15, then the Bureau will help mother nature along by increasing the flows from Lewiston Dam. However, those flows will not exceed 6,500 cfs in a critically dry year, such as we are having now.
Which is not needed in my opinion. Let nature do its work during the winter months. The Bureau will continue to increase flows in the spring and early summer months, regardless.
Bottom line: We will still have a winter steelhead season. I do apologize for my error.
"Radiate, radiate, radiate far and wide as the lines of latitude and longitude on a globe."
- John Muir
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