The U.S. Army Corps Engineers’ Philadelphia District posted the 2026 Recreation Plan for the Francis E. Walter Dam. The plan specifies dates and actions associated with whitewater and fishing releases from the dam from late March to early October of 2025. USACE coordinates the plan with the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
In 2026, the plan includes 24 whitewater releases and 22 fishing enhancement releases (unchanged from prior years). Dates for fishing releases and whitewater releases are noted below. Several dates are dependent on adequate water storage in the reservoir. It’s important to note that the need for flood control operations could result in the cancellation of any scheduled dates.
Whitewater Releases Schedule (dates with * are dependent on adequate water storage):
- May: 9, 16, 23, 24
- June: 6, 7, 20, 21
- July: 11, 12, 25, 26
- August: 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29*, 30*
- September: 5*, 6*
- October: as provided by end of year releases schedule, October 9-10*
- * - dependent on water storage (details in full plan document)
Fishing Enhancement Releases Schedule (dates with * are dependent on adequate water storage):
Total planned fishing releases (22)
Planned dates (16) for fishing releases (target 400 cubic feet per second*) are:
- March: 21, 22, 28, 29
- April: 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, 26
- May: 2, 3, 10, 17
* Release will be set to match inflow with a target release up to 400 cubic feet per second. Inflow will not be augmented by use of storage to satisfy the 400 cubic feet per second target.
Planned dates (6) for fishing releases (target 350 cubic feet per second**) are:
**September: 12, 13, 19, 20, 26, 27
** With the pool at 1365 on 1 July, storage is sufficient to support the planned white-water recreation releases through 23 August and Fisheries augmentation releases of up to 100cfs through Friday 10 July and up to 50 cubic feet per second through Friday 4 September. After those dates additional water must be accumulated during the recreation season to make the 6 additional 350 cubic feet per second fishing releases possible. These releases will be made from 1 AM Saturday until 1PM Sunday for a continuous 36-hour period. If these fishing releases are cancelled due to high flows, they may be rescheduled later at the Corps' discretion.