Shark River Slough had been dropping down steadily all winter long – despite the El Niño – a trend I was surprised to see …
Until a wet March moved it back on the rise.
Or was it upstream releases (from gates) that did it instead?
Those would be the S12-D (the only of the S-12 structure still open) and the L-29 Culverts (where they are building the one mile bridge), the former flowing at around 300 cfs and the latter at twice that (around 600).
Whichever the source – or in what combination,
Slough stage has moved up into 90th percentile territory for early April …
Placing it almost a foot higher than early April of last year.
That’s puts the wetting front
well up into the top of the ridges …
But still well below the shores of the tree islands,
Which last were flooded in Fall 2008.
Last spring even the sloughs went dry.
which last happened in 1990.
