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News Releases

  • Higher-than-average releases maintained to prepare for 2019 Missouri River runoff

    Higher-than-average releases from all Missouri River Mainstem System dams, including Gavins Point, will continue through the fall, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced today. “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] for the remainder of the navigation season to ensure evacuation of all stored flood waters prior to the 2019 runoff season,” said John Remus, chief of the Missouri River Basin Water Management Division.

  • 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.

  • Northwestern Division welcomes new commander

    At an assumption of command ceremony today, Brig. Gen. D. Peter Helmlinger assumed command of the Northwestern Division office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He succeeds Col. Torrey A. DiCiro who assumed command of the division following the reassignment of Maj. Gen. Scott A. Spellmon to the Corps’ headquarters in May.

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