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June 12, 2012

Water Releases Will Increase Mid-Snake Flows

BOISE, Idaho – Boaters, anglers and waterfall watchers take note: More water is coming to the Mid-Snake River as the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation releases water from its dams upstream to help flush salmon to the Pacific Ocean.

The annual fish augmentation flows start this week. Releases below Milner reservoir will ramp up by 500 cubic feet per second (cfs) each day through Wednesday, with an additional 1,000 cfs being added June 16 and 17 until the total additional flow reaches 4,000 cfs.

In some parts of the Snake River, the effect will be dramatic. For example, the flow above Shoshone Falls near Twin Falls was recently pegged around 400 cfs. By the middle of next week, it is expected to reach 4,400 cfs, which is great news for sightseers visiting the Snake River’s most scenic cataract.

The stretch of the Snake River immediately below Milner Dam had been virtually dry, with the river regaining its flow downstream as a result of springs and agricultural runoff. The water being released from federal reservoirs at Jackson Lake and Palisades will flow below Milner as it makes its way down the length of the Snake, into the Columbia River and eventually to the Pacific Ocean.

These are the first in a series of carefully timed releases overseen by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association to keep water levels high enough to allow salmon to complete their migration to the ocean.

About Idaho Power Company:

Idaho Power began operations in 1916. Today, the electric utility employs approximately 2,000 people who serve nearly 500,000 customers throughout a 24,000-square-mile area in southern Idaho and eastern Oregon. With 17 low-cost hydroelectric projects as the core of its generation portfolio, Idaho Power’s residential, business and agricultural customers pay among the nation’s lowest rates for electricity. IDACORP, Inc. (NYSE: IDA) is the investor-owned utility’s parent company based in Boise, Idaho. To learn more, visit www.idahopower.com or www.idacorpinc.com.

Contact:
Brad Bowlin
Communications Specialist
Idaho Power
(208) 388-2803 and bbowlin@idahopower.com