The Pipeline's Impact on Jackson Creek
During the summer of 2007, AWA's 30” pipeline from Lake Tabeau to Tanner Reservoir was
finished and flowing water. However, the canal has not been decommissioned because it is still suppling water to
customers along the canal. Since the canal still was flowing water, it was still leaking water into Jackson Creek
tributaries during the summer of 2007.
Since the pipeline has been operational, the flow in the canal has been reduced to less than half its previous flow levels. The leakage from the canal has decreased because of this lower flow in the canal. The city of Jackson has a gauge on Jackson Creek about one mile downstream of Jackson. If you use the two charts below to compare the flows at the Jackson gauge between 2004 and 2007 (2004 was chosen because it had almost identical rainfall as did 2007 -- just 3/4" less rain), there is a noticeable difference in August flows. Remember, this difference is due to the decrease in flow in the canal. If/when the canal is entirely dewatered, there will be an even greater drop in leakage which will have an even larger effect on the stream flows in Jackson Creek. The creek and its tributaries will have no flow for 2-4 months during the hottest part of nearly every year. This will have a dramatic affect on wildlife, trees and plants that have come to depend on the year round flows for the last 140 years.
