News Releases

  • Corps decreases runoff forecast due to lower than normal mountain snowpack

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Missouri River Basin Water Management Division is decreasing the annual runoff forecast for the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa, to 20.3 million acre feet (MAF), which is 80 percent of normal and 4.9 MAF less than average. The decreased forecast is due to below normal mountain snowpack and the lack of plains snow in the basin.
  • Corps begins spring fish operations

    In an effort to help young fish pass the dams safely to the ocean, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has begun implementing its 2015 Spring Fish Operations Plan. The FOP provides for spill at the four lower Snake River and four lower Columbia River dams to facilitate the timely and safe passage of juvenile salmon and steelhead. As specified in NOAA Fisheries’ 2014 Supplemental Biological Opinion, the FOP calls for spill to begin at the lower Snake River dams April 3 and lower Columbia River dams April 10. The annual plan, prepared by USACE, is coordinated with states, Tribes, and other federal agencies in the region.
  • Corps invites public to Missouri River operations meetings

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Missouri River Basin Water Management Division will hold five public meetings in early April to update stakeholders on current hydrologic conditions and the planned operation of the Mainstem Reservoir System.
  • February runoff higher, but 2015 Missouri River forecast still slightly below normal

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Missouri River Basin Water Management Division reports runoff in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa was 2 million acre feet (MAF) during February, 186 percent of normal. The increased runoff was caused by above normal temperatures in the upper Missouri Basin that limited river ice build-up, and melted both plains and low elevation mountain snows. However, the 2015 runoff forecast in the same reach is 24.6 MAF, 97 percent of normal, and the March runoff forecast is about 1 MAF less than in February.
  • Missouri River Committe learns efforts on management plan

    The Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee (MRRIC) met in Kansas City, Mo., February 23–26. At its 28th meeting, MRRIC continued to work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to develop the Missouri River Recovery Management Plan (Plan). The Committee heard presentations on a range of potential management actions that could benefit the three listed species: the least tern, piping plover, and pallid sturgeon. These actions form the basis for alternatives that can be tested using river models.
  • Reservoir system prepared for 2015 runoff season; previously stored flood waters evacuated

    Monthly Missouri River Water Management Report for February 2015. Updates on weather conditions, snow pack, reservoir levels and release forecast.