28 Aug 2015

Missouri River Tribes meet in Nebraska

The Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee (MRRIC) met in Omaha, Nebraska, August 25–27. Missouri Basin Tribes participating in MRRIC communicated their desire to ensure that cultural resources were considered during the development of the Missouri River Management Plan and EIS and that the National Historic Preservation Act was not impacted by any decisions made moving forward. Tribal representatives emphasized that the committee should work together on the basis of mutual respect to resolve any issues that may impact tribal lands or their cultural resources. MRRIC members welcomed new representatives from the Crow Nation and the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. Additionally, the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe, Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Oglala Sioux Tribe, and the Fort Peck Tribes participated in the meeting.

28 Aug 2015

Missouri River Committee recommends work plan to USACE

The Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee (MRRIC) met August 25–27 in Omaha, Nebraska. The meeting was held at the Embassy Suites Downtown/Old Market. At the meeting, MRRIC reached final consensus on a suite of recommendations regarding the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2016 Fiscal Year Recovery Program draft annual work plan. In the recommendation, MRRIC requested USACE conduct a formal review of the pallid sturgeon propagation program and asked the Corps to maintain full funding of their Integrated Science Program.

20 Aug 2015

Missouri River Committee to hold meeting in Nebraska

The Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee will be meeting, August 25–27, in Omaha, NE. Public attendance is encouraged, and an opportunity is provided during each daily session for the public to address the Committee and the lead agencies, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, regarding the Missouri River Recovery Program.

10 Aug 2015

Missouri River runoff below normal in July

Runoff in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa, for the month of July was 2.7 million acre feet (MAF), 81 percent of normal. The 2015 runoff forecast is 25.0 MAF, 99 percent of normal. Average annual runoff is 25.2 MAF. The total volume of water stored in the Mainstem Reservoir System is currently 61.3 MAF, occupying 5.2 MAF of the 16.3 MAF combined flood control storage zones. System storage peaked on July 9 at 61.9 MAF and is gradually declining. The water currently stored in the annual flood control zone will be released during the remainder of the year to serve navigation, water supply and other downstream purposes and will be completely evacuated prior to the start of next year’s runoff season.