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Category: Water Management - Missouri River
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  • Releases from Gavins Point Dam to begin declining Sunday

    Water releases from Gavins Point Dam will be reduced Sunday, Nov. 25, from 58,000 cubic feet per second to 55,000 cfs, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced today. Releases will be incrementally reduced over the next few weeks to winter release rates ahead of the river’s icing-in in the upper portions of the basin.

  • Continued reservoir releases in preparation for 2019 runoff season; Public meetings set for this week

    Higher-than-average releases from all Missouri River Mainstem System projects, including Gavins Point, will continue through November. To ensure all stored 2018 runoff is evacuated prior to the 2019 runoff season, most of the releases must occur before the river ices over in reaches predominantly upstream from Lake Oahe. The 2018 runoff forecast looks to be the third highest since record-keeping began in 1898. Runoff in the unregulated reach from Gavins Point Dam to Sioux City was 1.7 million acre feet for September and October, which is the highest in 120 years of record-keeping

  • Reminder for Missouri River basin fall public meetings; some dates rescheduled

    Fall public meetings to discuss Missouri River Water Management operations and plans are scheduled for Nov. 6, 7 and 9. The final day of meetings was originally set for Nov. 8, however, a scheduling conflict required the meetings in Smithville, Missouri, and Nebraska City, Nebraska, be moved to Nov. 9.

  • Heavy Rains in Kansas and Missouri prompt reduced releases from upstream Missouri River dams

    In response to recent heavy rains and runoff in Kansas and Missouri, releases from Fort Randall Dam and Gavins Point Dam will be reduced. Gavins Point releases will be reduced from 58,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) to 46,000 cfs over a 2-day period, starting at noon on Sunday, Oct 7. Fort Randall releases will be decreased from 55,000 cfs to 43,000 cfs over the same 2-day period.

  • Missouri River releases to continue at higher-than-average levels to prepare system for 2019; Public meetings scheduled

    Higher-than-average releases from all Missouri River Mainstem System projects, including Gavins Point, will continue through the fall. “Due to this year’s high runoff and the water currently being stored in the reservoirs, Gavins Point releases will remain near 58,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) for the remainder of the navigation season to ensure evacuation of all stored flood waters prior to the 2019 runoff season with much of that occurring before the river freezes over in the northern reaches,” said John Remus, Chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Missouri River Basin Water Management Division.

  • Corps reducing outflows due to recent rains

    In response to recent heavy rains and runoff in southeastern South Dakota and northwestern Iowa, releases from Fort Randall and Gavins Point dams will be reduced, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced today.

  • Releases from Gavins Point Dam reduced to address heavy rain

    Releases from Gavins Point Dam on the Missouri River were reduced from 58,000 cubic feet per second to 52,000 cfs to address heavy rainfall in western Iowa and eastern Nebraska. A weather system that has already seen rainfall totals from 2 to 6 inches across eastern Nebraska and western Iowa is causing increased river stages along the Missouri River and tributaries in the area.

  • Higher than average releases from Missouri River Mainstem projects to continue through the fall

    Higher-than-average releases from all System projects, including Gavins Point, will continue through the summer and fall. “Due to the water currently being stored in the reservoirs and the higher-than-average runoff being forecast in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa, Gavins Point releases will remain near 58,000 cfs for the remainder of the navigation season to ensure evacuation of all stored flood waters prior to next year’s runoff season,” said John Remus, Chief of the Missouri River Basin Water Management Division. The 2018 runoff forecast in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa, is 39.8 million acre feet (MAF), 157 percent of average according to the Corps. July runoff was 5.1 MAF, 155 percent of normal.

  • Spillway flows at Garrison Dam scheduled for Monday, Aug. 6

    As releases decline from Garrison Dam, releases will be transferred from the regulating tunnels to the spillway on Monday, Aug. 6 with the spillway gates opening at about 11 a.m. The release capacity of the powerhouse is about 41,000 cfs so releases from the spillway will be about 9,000 cfs with 9 of 28 the spillway gates opening.

  • Releases from Garrison Dam continue to decline, project crews to test recent repairs

    Releases from Garrison Dam have been reduced to a rate of 54,000 cfs and will drop to 50,000 cfs this Thursday. After a month at 60,000 cfs, releases were reduced to 57,000 cfs on July 24. The gage at Bismarck peaked at a stage of 13.4 feet on June 29, which is approximately 1 foot below flood stage. Rapid mountain snowmelt in June coupled with heavy rains in Montana and northern Wyoming, would have caused much higher stages in Bismarck without Garrison Dam capturing that runoff. Instead of a peak of 13.4 feet on June 29, the river rise would have begun in late March hovering above flood stage through late June with a peak stage of 19.2 feet.