21-060 Bennington Lake annual drawdown is underway in preparation for flood season

WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Mill Creek Project staff began drawing down Bennington Lake on Nov. 8, 2021 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 safety concerns. Test results from the Walla Walla Department of Community Health (DCH) on Nov. 5 reported that anatoxin-a, 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,” Austin Kuhlman, Mill Creek Project Operations Manager, 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 3 to 5 cubic feet per second (cfs) down Russell Creek.

For more information about this project or for general information about Mill Creek Dam and Bennington Lake, call the Mill Creek Office at 509-527-7160 or visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/millcreekdam.