The agreement to renew and update joint operations of Osoyoos Lake was finalized this week. The lake’s outflows are controlled by the Washington Department of Ecology, which owns and operates Zosel Dam near Oroville, WA. Ecology’s dam controls lake levels and trans-border flows downstream from the outlet of Osoyoos Lake on the Okanogan River, which flows south and into the Columbia River.
New joint operations reflect seven years of study and public input and recommendations by the International Osoyoos Lake Board of Control, established in 1946 to ensure compliance and supervise cross-border operations of lake levels during both wet and dry years.
More information about the agreement can be found online at: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wr/dams/zosel.html [4]