Wyoming officials requested the flows to be dropped way below the recommended minimum.

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles ... 5-flow.txt


Montana Senator Max Bacus had the following response:


-For Immediate Release-
Contact Barrett Kaiser (406) 670-0541/ Sara Kuban (202) 224-4362 or 309-2790

September 27, 2006

BAUCUS BLASTS MOVE TO DEWATER BIGHORN RIVER
Senator Comes Out Swinging Against Wyoming Request To Drop Flows Out Of Yellowtail Dam

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) ?? Montana Senator Max Baucus came out swinging today against a proposal by Wyoming advocates to drastically reduce water flows in the Bighorn River, saying reducing flows would devastate one of Montana?s most prized trout streams and level a blow to jobs and the economy in the area.

In a strongly worded letter to Bureau of Reclamation Montana director Dan Jewell, Baucus blasted a suggestion by Wyoming advocates to immediately cut flows coming out of Yellowtail Dam to 1,000 cubic feet per second. He said that flow level would cause fish numbers in the river to drop sharply.

?Dropping flows even further ? especially to the dangerous level of 1,000cfs -- would threaten one of Montana?s world-class trout streams and I adamantly oppose it,? Baucus wrote. ?You can rest assured you will be met with steadfast opposition should you move to reduce flows on the Bighorn River. And you can also assume that I?ll do anything within my power to put the brakes on this unfair proposal.?

Instead of dropping in-stream flows on the Bighorn, Baucus urged Jewell to work with interested parties to develop a common-sense plan that helps recreation in both states. He said investing in new low-water boat ramps and silt-abatement dikes at the south end of the lake are worth considering.

?The Bighorn River means too much to too many to choke it off,? Baucus said. ?It is a tribal resource and a source of great economic strength and pride. It?s part of our recreational heritage.?

Baucus said maintaining adequate flows in the Bighorn River ?speaks to the soul and pads the wallet,? noting fishing on the river generates more than $30 million in economic activity every year.

?Montana is an outdoors state. We hunt. We fish. We take our kids hiking and camping,? Baucus wrote. ?Protecting our outdoor heritage preserves the soul of our State. It also keeps our economy strong.?

Baucus said although the Bighorn is known across the world as a premiere fishing destination, consecutive years of drought have caused fish numbers in the river to drop sharply -- from an all-time high of 11,000 fish per mile. He said in 1998 the river sustained more than 8,000 brown trout per mile, but as of 2003 that number had dropped to about 500.