Fluctuating river levels caused by cold weather required higher than planned releases from Gavins Point Dam during January. Releases from Gavins Point ranged from 13,000 cfs to 16,000 cfs during the month compared to the target winter release of 12,000 cfs.

“Several cold blasts across the lower Missouri River Basin locked river flows into ice and caused repeated dips in river stages downstream of Gavins Point,” said Jody Farhat, Chief of the Water Management Division. “Releases have been above the target winter release of 12,000 cfs to offset water lost to ice formation and to ensure water intakes remain operational. Once temperatures moderate, releases will be gradually reduced to the target winter release to conserve water in the reservoir system.” Gavins Point releases are currently scheduled at 16,000 cfs.

Based on the current soil moisture and mountain snowpack conditions, forecast runoff in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa, is 26.7 million acre feet (MAF), 106 percent of normal, in 2014. Normal runoff is 25.2 MAF. January runoff into the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa, was 175 percent of normal. Runoff typically slows during winter months as rivers freeze over reducing inflows into the reservoir system, however intermittent periods of warmer than normal temperatures in Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, and South Dakota contributed to the above normal runoff in January. Despite the high January runoff, the upper three reservoirs, Fort Peck in eastern Montana, Garrison in North Dakota, and Oahe in South Dakota, remain 5 to 11 feet below the desired operating levels.

As of Feb. 1, the mountain snowpack was 107 percent of normal in the reach above Fort Peck and 113 percent of normal in the reach from Fort Peck to Garrison. Light plains snowpack has accumulated over the eastern Dakotas.

View the mountain snowpack graphic here: https://www.nwd-mr.usace.army.mil/rcc/reports/snow.pdf

Releases from Gavins Point will be increased in mid-March for the 2014 navigation season, which will open on Apr. 1 at the mouth near St. Louis. The current forecast indicates flow support for Missouri River navigation will be between minimum and full service for the first half of next year’s navigation season as a drought conservation measure. Minimum service flow support is designed to provide an 8-feet-deep by 200-feet-wide navigation channel rather than the 9 feet by 300 feet supported with full-service flows. The actual service level will be set based on the total volume of water stored in the reservoir system on Mar. 15 in accordance with guidelines in the Master Manual. Flow support for the second half of the navigation season, as well as the navigation season length, will be set based on the Jul. 1 system storage.

“The Corps will continue to monitor the plains and mountain snowpack through the winter and into spring, as well as basin soil conditions to fine tune the regulation of the reservoir system based on the most up-to-date information,” said Farhat.

Monthly water management conference calls

The Corps will host its second conference call of 2014 on Tuesday, Feb. 11, at 1:00 pm CST to inform basin stakeholders on current weather and runoff forecasts and the planned operation of the reservoir system in the coming months. The call is intended for Congressional delegations, Tribes, state, county and local government officials, and the press. It will be recorded in its entirety and made available to the public as a free podcast in iTunes. Subscribe at https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/missouri-river-basin-water/id508457675. Or, simply run a search for Missouri River Basin Water Management in iTunes. The audio file will also be posted to the Omaha District’s facebook page and other social media outlets following each call.

Discontinuation of hardcopy news releases

As of February, the Corps’ Missouri River news releases will only be available through email and the internet. “We encourage interested parties to read the news releases on our website, or they can sign up to have the news release emailed to them,” said Farhat. News releases are published under the information section of the Water Management website at:  https://www.nwd-mr.usace.army.mil/rcc. Interested parties also can sign up for the email version at the website by clicking on “Add Me To Your Email List” at the bottom of the home page.

Reservoir forecasts

Gavins Point releases averaged 14,800 cfs during January. Releases will gradually be reduced to 12,000 cfs as conditions permit. The reservoir behind Gavins Point Dam ended January at elevation 1207.6 feet, and the pool will be drawn down to 1206.0 feet by Mar. 1 in anticipation of the upcoming spring runoff season.

Fort Randall releases averaged 12,700 cfs during January. Releases are expected to average 11,400 cfs this month and will be adjusted as necessary to maintain the elevation at Gavins Point. The reservoir ended January at elevation 1344.7 feet. It is forecast to reach elevation 1350 feet by the end of February. Refill of the reservoir is designed to increase winter hydropower generation at Oahe and Big Bend.

Big Bend releases averaged 16,600 cfs during January. They are expected to average 17,200 cfs this month. The reservoir will remain near its normal elevation of 1420 feet.

Oahe releases averaged 17,200 cfs during January. Releases are expected to average 17,000 cfs this month. The reservoir ended January at elevation 1601.9 feet, up 0.6 feet during the month. The reservoir is expected to rise less than a foot during February.

Garrison releases were increased from 16,000 cfs to 18,000 cfs in early January, averaging 17,800 cfs for the month. Releases are expected to remain at 18,000 cfs during February. The reservoir ended the month at 1832.3 feet, down 0.7 feet from the previous month and is expected to fall approximately 1 foot in February.

Fort Peck releases were increased from 6,500 cfs to 7,000 cfs in early January. Releases will remain at 7,000 cfs in February. The reservoir ended the month at elevation 2222.7 feet, down 0.3 feet from the previous month. The reservoir is expected to remain nearly steady in February.

The forecast reservoir releases and elevations discussed above are not definitive. Additional precipitation, lack of precipitation or other unknown circumstances could cause adjustments to the reservoir release rates.

The six mainstem power plants generated 564 million kilowatt hours of electricity in January. Average power generation in January is 712 million kWh. Projected 2014 generation is 8.4 billion kWh of electricity, compared to the normal of 10 billion kWh.

To view the detailed three-week release forecast for the mainstem dams, go to: https://www.nwd-mr.usace.army.mil/rcc/reports/twregfcast.pdf. 

                                                                    MISSOURI RIVER MAINSTEM RESERVOIR DATA

WATER RELEASES AND ENERGY GENERATION FOR JANUARY