Draining Bennington Lake is underway
By Terry Murry on Wednesday, November 10th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WALLA WALLA – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began drawing down Bennington Lake Monday to prepare for the upcoming flood season. Residents living along Russell Creek also will begin seeing increased flows through the creek.
Bennington Lake has been closed since late September due to blue-green algae concerns. Test results taken by the Walla Walla County Department of Community Health last Friday reported the deadly toxin associated with blue-green algae was not detected and that other toxin levels have remained very low.
“Test results are consistently well-below the level of concern,” Mill Creek Project Operations Manager Austin Kuhlman said. “We will still be moving forward with the drawdown as dictated by our water control manual in order to be prepared for the upcoming flood season.”
Bennington Lake can take up to a month to drain, as it will only be releasing about three to five cubic feet per second down Russell Creek.
Photo by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
