The arrival of El Niño alone should mean the water level will decrease for a few months then go back up during the winter months. Add to that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers management, including possible releases for repairs, downstream volume, fish concerns and of course any accidental releases and your guess is as good as mine on pool level over the next year.

Does the Corps of Engineers see the coming El Niño as an opportunity to release water for whatever reason thinking it should rebuild naturally this winter? Will El Niño do what it is forecast to do?

Any releases that bank on the prospect of winter precipitation to rebuild lake levels bothers me a bit. How about a little caution the rest of the summer and through the fall and handle any non-emergency dam repairs when and if the rains come.