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News Releases

  • Record of Decision signed for Fort Peck Dam Environmental Impact Statement

    Col. Geoff Van Epps, Commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Northwestern Division, signed a Record of Decision for the Fort Peck Dam test releases Environmental Impact Statement on Nov. 12. “We are committed to conducting the test in a manner that ensures the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers can continue to serve all eight authorized purposes of the Missouri River Mainstem system.” said Van Epps. “This decision serves to allow the Corps to conduct a test, when conditions are favorable, to determine whether actions at Fort Peck Dam can be taken that would promote pallid sturgeon growth and survival before they reach the headwaters of Lake Sakakawea,”

  • Gavins Point Dam releases to be reduced in late November

    “We will continue to make releases from Gavins Point Dam to provide flow support at an intermediate service level, 1,500 cubic feet per second (cfs) less than full service, through the end of the navigation flow support season,” said John Remus, chief of the USACE, Missouri River Water Management Division.

  • Dry conditions persist in Upper Missouri River Basin; Public meetings set for Oct. 25-29

    September precipitation was once again below average in the Missouri River Basin. September runoff in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa (upper Basin) was 0.8 million acre-feet, 67% of the long-term average. Soil conditions in the upper Basin continue to be very dry. According to the Drought Mitigation Center, approximately 88% of the Missouri River basin is currently experiencing some form of abnormally dry conditions or drought, which is a 6% increase from the end of August.

  • Winter Gavins Point releases will be at minimum rates

    Updated: Fort Peck release reductions was incorrectly reported as Sept 6 and has been corrected to Sept. 16. Drought conditions, particularly in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa (upper Basin), are persisting. Per the Master Manual and the Sept. 1 System storage check, winter releases from Gavins Point Dam will be 12,000 cubic feet per second, as part of the overall water conservation measures. “Reservoir inflows in August were much lower than average. We expect below-average inflows into the System through the rest of 2021,” said John Remus, chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Missouri River Basin Water Management Division.

  • Drought conditions persist in the upper Missouri River Basin

    Drought conditions continue to impact the upper Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa (upper Basin). July runoff in the upper Basin was 34% of average. July runoff above Fort Peck Dam was the lowest in 123 years of record-keeping. The updated 2021 upper Basin runoff forecast is 14.6 million acre-feet (MAF), 57% of average. If realized, this runoff amount would be the 10th driest year in the upper Basin since 1898. System storage on August 1 was 53.9 MAF, 2.2 MAF below the base of the Annual Flood Control and Multiple Use Zone. System storage is expected to decline further into the Carryover Multiple Use Zone during the remainder of 2021.

  • Northwestern Division transfers command; Accomplished scholar-soldier takes over largest USACE division

    Brig. Gen. Peter Helmlinger transferred command of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Northwestern Division to Col. Geoff Van Epps today in a ceremony at Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River. Van Epps comes to the Northwestern Division from the Office of the Chief of Engineers in Washington, D.C., where he served as director of the Pentagon office of the Chief of Engineers, Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon. “I’m very pleased to be included in the story of this unit along with all its stellar employees, past and present,” said Van Epps. “Together, we’ll continue to develop our people, collaborate with our partners, and deliver the program for our country and corps.”

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