The unseasonably cold weather kept the snow from melting and the creeks low through mid-June, but when it finally warmed up the snow melted rapidly and Mono Basin creeks swelled with runoff. Lee Vining Creek peaked in early July at about 450 cfs, and Rush Creek peaked at about 500 cfs in mid-July--the highest since 1995's 630 cfs peak, thanks to cooperation between Edison and DWP in their reservoir releases. Below the Narrows, Rush Creek surpassed 600 cfs, which caused substantial channel movement in certain areas. Mill Creek threatened the Cemetery Road crossing as it reached the culvert tops. The waterfalls on all of the streams were impressive throughout July.

The Mono Lake Committee helped monitor the effects of the high flows on the streams by taking photos and looking for indicators of channel movement. Crossing the engorged stream channels was challenging, but once across we could see the flooding, sediment deposition, and high water table of areas such as recently rewatered Channel 10 on Rush Creek. Areas along Rush Creek where we planted pine seedlings last year were under water or at the water's edge--areas where we once had to carry buckets of water tens of feet to water the thirsty trees.

All of this water flowed into Mono Lake, causing it to rise rapidly: three-quarters of a foot in July, at the rate of two inches per week, and one quarter-inch per day. This kept the rangers at South Tufa busy re-routing trails as the lake covered up the old ones, causing confusion on tours when the guides would occasionally get lost! At County Park, the boardwalk now ends in the willows just past the bridge.

The July 23 level of Mono Lake was 6,384.2, the highest since 1972. It is reaching a new lake-level gauge with a zero elevation of 6,383.9 feet above sea level. With average precipitation this winter, the April 1, 1999 elevation of Mono Lake is forecasted to be 6,384.6, exactly 10 vertical feet higher than it was in 1994 at the time of the Water Board decision--with seven more feet to go!