Jamestown (CSi) Ice thickness on Jamestown area bodies of water continues to be unsafe, especially for vehicles.

On Tuesday’s Wayne Byers Show of CSi Cable 2, U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s Pipestem Dam Manager, Bob Martin said, the water release from Jamestown Dam is only 13cfs, which began on December 21st, using the 10 inch by-pass value, and the release is expected to continue at that rate until spring. The water is at 1429.8 feet.

He said that the ice cover is unsafe for passage pointing out open water south of the island, to the west. Other open areas were noted, and NO VEHICLES should be on the ice.

At Pipestem Reservoir open areas exists,  no water releases have been made since September 17th, with the water level at six inches below normal freeze up at 1442.5 feet. Later this winter there may be a release of five cfs from Pipestem.

JamesRiverSpillwayWinterHe urges people to stay off the ice on the two reservoirs and the Jamestown River in Jamestown, as the open water exists, and the ice is thin, due to a lack of a steady cold temperature scenario up till now.

He’ll be in touch with contractors in the next week to determine frost depth, which in the spring will effect runoff.

He pointed out that soybean field planting last season means less stubble in the fields to hold back runoff water.

Next week, Martin will begin taking snow samples to determine the amount of moisture in the snow pack, which will continue every two weeks or so until spring.

Photos Jan 1, 2016, James River near 12th Ave SE – State Hospital Road and low spillway, by Matt Sheppard for CSiNewsNOW.com