BOISE, Idaho — One of our local reservoirs is getting closer to having more capacity in the future. The Bureau of Reclamation is working on plans to raise the Anderson Ranch Dam by 6 feet. This would create an extra 29,000 acres of storage.
Chris Keith is the Project Manager for Bureau of Reclamation. He said the project "ties into being a part of securing the future water needs of the Boise River Basin."
Keith said the bureau isn't sure how 90% of this additional water will be allocated yet, but adding more storage at Anderson Reservoir is strategic. It's the highest point in the Boise River System. Holding more water in this location allows more water to be held upstream in our reservoir system. That way it can be released, as needed, in drier months.
Assuming the extra outflow from the Boise River would be around 1,000 cubic feet per second, the extra storage could help avoid about 14 days of flood operations below Anderson Ranch.
The Bureau of Reclamation said they will hit the 30% benchmark for the final planning process by the end of the month.
Construction is still a couple years away. It's expected to start between late 2025 and early 2026, with expected completion around 2028. The timeline and project are subject to change.
According to the Bureau of Reclamation's website, they are working on studying storage because, "predictions of changes in precipitation and runoff patterns due to climate variability may require additional surface water storage capacity to capture rainfall previously held as snowpack, as well as excess water generated in wet years to offset dry years."
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