Prineville Reservoir falls to lowest levels in 20 years

The summer busy season is long gone, and in many places around the Prineville Reservoir, so is the water.

“I’m really shocked — it’s gone down so far,” camper Gretchen Ingram said Tuesday. “It’s really amazing.”

Other campers NewsChannel 21 spoke with left their fishing rods at home this trip, and some said they were too afraid to try to launch their boats.

The reservoir is only 30 percent full, the lowest water levels in 20 years. In October, the basin typically would be nearly twice as full.

Nearby resident Tom Mcleod said each time he visits, it’s a new view.

“I didn’t think it would get this low,” Mcleod said. “When we moved up here in September a year ago, it was down, but you could still get a boat in.”

Oregon Water Resources South Central Manager Kyle Gorman told NewsChannel 21 the reservoir’s water depth peaked in April — much earlier than usual. He said heavy water removal by irrigation districts over the summer, coupled with little snowmelt, brought the reservoir to its current condition.