OMAHA, Neb. – Runoff in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa, was 1.9 million acre feet (MAF) during February, 170 percent of normal. “Above normal temperatures in the upper Missouri River basin melted virtually all of the plains snowpack and some low elevation mountain snowpack,” said Jody Farhat, chief of the Missouri River Basin Water Management Division. “Runoff that would normally occur in March and April occurred earlier this year. Additionally, warm temperatures released some of the water that had been locked-up in river ice earlier in the winter, contributing to higher than average runoff.”

The 2016 runoff forecast in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa, is 21.6 MAF, 85 percent of normal. The March forecast is about 1.6 MAF less than the February runoff forecast. “The reduction in forecasted runoff is a result of below normal mountain snowpack above Fort Peck and Garrison. The remainder of the plains snowpack is light and patchy,” said Farhat. The total volume of water stored in the Missouri River Mainstem Reservoir System is currently 56.8 MAF, occupying 0.7 MAF of the 16.3 MAF flood control zone. “System storage reached the base of the annual flood control zone in late January, fully evacuating all the 2015 stored flood waters. The 2016 runoff season started in late January with all system flood control storage available,” said Farhat.

As of Feb. 29, the mountain snowpack was 89 percent of average in the reach above Fort Peck and 75 percent of average in the reach from Fort Peck to Garrison. Normally about 80 percent of the total mountain snowpack accumulation has occurred by Mar. 1. Mountain snowpack normally peaks in mid- April. 

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

Beginning in mid-March, releases from Gavins Point Dam will be adjusted to provide flow support for navigation. Based on the March 15 system storage check, full-service navigation flow support will be provided for the first half of the Missouri River navigation season. Full-service navigation flow support is generally sufficient to provide a 9-feet-deep by 300-feet-wide channel. Flow support for the second half of the navigation season and the season length will be determined based on the July 1 system storage check. The navigation season opening dates are as follows:

March 23 – Sioux City, Iowa

March 25 – Omaha, Neb.

March 26 – Nebraska City, Neb.

March 28 – Kansas City, Mo.

April 1 – Mouth near St. Louis, Mo.

The Corps will continue to monitor basin conditions, mountain snow and plains snow accumulation, and fine tune the regulation of the reservoir system based on the most up-to-date information.

Spring Public Meetings

Five public meetings will be conducted throughout the basin April 12-14. The purpose of these meetings is to update the region on current hydrologic conditions and the planned operation of the reservoir system. Meeting times and locations are listed below.

Tuesday, April 12 – Smithville, Mo.

Start time:  11 a.m.

Jerry Litton Visitor Center

16311 DD Hwy

Tuesday, April 12 – Nebraska City, Iowa

Start time:  5 p.m.

Lewis and Clark Missouri River Visitor Center

100 Valmont Drive

Wednesday, April 13 – Fort Peck, Mont.

Start time:  11 a.m.

Fort Peck Interpretative Center

Lower Yellowstone Road

Wednesday, April 13 - Bismarck, N.D.

Start time:  6 p.m.

Bismarck Civic Center

315 South 5th Street

Thursday, April 14 – Pierre, S.D.

Start time:  11 a.m.

Capitol Lake Visitor Center

500 E Capitol Ave.

Monthly water management conference calls

The Corps will host its third conference call of 2016 on Friday, Mar. 4 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. Presentation materials will be available via webinar. The call is intended for Congressional delegations; Tribes; state, county and local government officials; and the media. It will be recorded in its entirety and made available on the Defense Video and Imagery Distribution System at www.dvidshub.net/unit/OmahaUSACE.

Reservoir Forecasts

Garrison Dam releases were reduced from 20,000 cfs to 18,000 cfs during February averaging 19,100 cfs for the month. Releases were reduced to 16,000 cfs in early March and will remain at that rate through the month. Garrison ended February at elevation 1838.1 feet, down 0.7 foot from the end of January. The reservoir is expected to remain near its current elevation during March. Fort Peck Dam releases averaged 6,200 cfs in February. Releases are expected to remain at 6,000 cfs during March. The reservoir rose 0.3 foot during February, ending the month at elevation 2234.1 feet. The reservoir level is forecast to rise slightly during March. The forecast reservoir releases and elevations discussed above are not definitive. Additional precipitation, lack of precipitation or other circumstances could cause adjustments to the reservoir release rates.

The six mainstem power plants generated 565 million kilowatt hours of electricity in February. Typical energy generation for the month of February is 621 million kWh. The power plants are projected to generate 9.1 billion kWh of electricity this year, compared to the normal of 10 billion kWh. To view the detailed three-week release forecast for the mainstem dams, go to: http://www.nwd-mr.usace.army.mil/rcc/reports/twregfcast.pdf    

Missouri River Mainstem Reservoir Data

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Water releases and energy generation for January

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