OMAHA, Neb. -- Beginning Weds., April 24, the Missouri River Water Management Division will host weekly virtual meetings to provide updates on the status of test flows from Fort Peck Dam in Montana. Test flows to comply with the 2018 Biological Opinion will begin Fri., April 26.
The 2018 Biological Opinion requires the test under the Endangered Species Act for operation of the Missouri River Mainstem Reservoir System.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will host weekly virtual meetings during the flow test to update the public on test progress and planned operations.
Calls will be held each Wednesday, at 1 p.m. Central Time, (12 p.m. Mountain Time)
Information on accessing the public meetings can be found at https://www.nwd.usace.army.mil/MRWM/Public-Meetings/Meetings or at the end of this News Release.
Calls will include information on flows into the Fort Peck reservoir, recent releases, current releases and forecast releases.
When the test starts, releases from Fort Peck Dam will be adjusted until a peak flow of 18,000 cubic feet per second is achieved at Wolf Point, on or about May 1 and held for approximately three days. This peak flow is intended to attract pallid sturgeon up the Missouri River for spawning.
The Fort Peck releases will be adjusted depending on the runoff and reach conditions downstream of Fort Peck during this period. The test will likely require spillway releases from Fort Peck. The test releases will not affect river stages downstream of Gavins Point Dam.
“This flow test has been extensively coordinated with local stakeholders and was discussed in depth a public meeting held in Poplar, Montana on March 28, 2024,” said John Remus, chief of the Missouri River Basin Water Management Division.
Test releases from Fort Peck to assess the potential benefits of alternative management scenarios for the pallid sturgeon includes two higher Fort Peck release periods, in late April and June. River stages and flows will be measured at Wolf Point, Montana.
During the flow test a number of monitoring activities will be conducted to include fish monitoring, lidar and aerial photography, physical surveys, cultural resource surveys, and water quality sampling. Interested parties can also provide information through a web-based application that can be found at https://hydroviz.ca/fort-peck-feedback.
Call details are below:
Join from the meeting link: https://usace1.webex.com/usace1/j.php?MTID=ma8b176ff7ce553ae5f1f645f3a8629a4
Join by meeting number
- Meeting number (access code): 2828 416 1213
- Meeting password: J4hY3uF478@
Tap to join from a mobile device (attendees only)
Join by phone
- +1-844-800-2712 US Toll Free
- +1-669-234-1177 US Toll
Join from a video system or application
Meeting Recordings are available at: