OMAHA, NE – Gavins Point Dam releases will remain near 31,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) for the first half of November and then increased to 32,000 cfs. Releases will be held at that rate until late November and then stepped down approximately 3,000 cfs each day until they reach the winter release rate. “Based on the September 1 system storage, Gavins Point Dam winter releases will be at least 17,000 cubic feet per second (cfs). However, higher than normal runoff during the late summer and fall will allow us to provide a slightly higher release during the late fall and winter months. Higher winter releases will provide additional hydropower generation during the winter, one of the peak power demand periods. It will also benefit municipal and industrial water intakes below Gavins Point Dam, which can be impacted by low water levels during periods of ice formation,” said John Remus, chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (Corps) Missouri River Basin Water Management Division. Gavins Point Dam winter releases normally range between 12,000 and 17,000 cfs.

The total volume of water stored in the Missouri River mainstem reservoirs is currently 58.2 million acre-feet (MAF), occupying 2.1 MAF of the 16.3 MAF combined flood control storage zones according to the Corps. “System storage peaked on July 9 at 61.8 MAF and is declining, lowering 1.0 MAF in October. During the remainder of the fall and winter we will complete evacuation of the flood storage to ensure we start next year’s runoff season with the full flood control capacity of the reservoir system available,” said Remus.

As the colder, winter temperatures begin to enter the basin, river ice formation downstream of all the mainstem projects will be monitored and releases will be adjusted accordingly.

Based on the July 1 system storage, the Corps is providing a full 8-months of full service navigation flow support. Full service flow support is generally sufficient to provide a navigation channel that is 9 feet deep and 300 feet wide. Flow support is expected to end on the dates indicated below:

2017 Navigation Season – End of Navigation Flow Support

Location	End Date
Sioux City, Iowa	November 22
Omaha, Nebraska	November 24
Nebraska City, Nebraska	November 25
Kansas City, Missouri	November 27
Mouth near St. Louis, Missouri	December 1

Weekly updates on basin conditions, reservoir levels and other topics of interest can be viewed here: http://www.nwd-mr.usace.army.mil/rcc/reports/pdfs/weeklyupdate.pdf.

USACE will continue to monitor basin conditions, including plains and mountain snow accumulation, and will adjust the regulation of the System based on the most up-to-date information.

Draft Annual Operating Plan Public Comment Period Closes November 17

The draft 2017-2018 Annual Operating Plan was released in mid-September and public meetings were held throughout the basin in mid-October. The PowerPoint presentation given at each meeting can be viewed here: http://www.nwd-mr.usace.army.mil/rcc/reports/pdfs/Fall2017AOPPresentation.pdf. Comments on the plan will be accepted through November 17. Comments can be emailed to: Missouri.Water.Management@nwd02.usace.army.mil or mailed to:

Missouri River Basin Water Management
1616 Capitol Avenue, Suite 365
Omaha, NE 68102-4909

Reservoir Forecasts

Gavins Point Dam releases averaged 28,600 cfs during October. Releases are expected to average near 31,500 cfs during November but will be adjusted as necessary based on runoff and downstream river conditions. The Gavins Point reservoir ended October at elevation 1207.8 feet and will be near 1207.5 feet during the fall and winter months.

Fort Randall Dam releases averaged 26,300 cfs in October. Releases will be adjusted as necessary to maintain the desired reservoir elevation at Gavins Point. The reservoir ended October at elevation 1344.2 feet and is expected to decline during November ending the month near 1337.5 feet. The reservoir is normally drawn down to 1337.5 feet in the fall to provide space for winter hydropower generation at Oahe and Big Bend. The annual drawdown will continue in November.

Big Bend Dam releases averaged 15,700 cfs in October. Releases are expected to average 23,800 cfs this month. The reservoir will remain near its normal elevation of 1420.0 feet during November.

Oahe Dam releases averaged 17,500 cfs during October. Releases are expected to average 23,800 cfs in October. The reservoir ended October at elevation 1609.7 feet, falling 0.7 foot during the month. The reservoir level is expected to decline approximately another 1.8 feet during November.

Garrison Dam releases averaged 16,200 cfs for the month. Releases will remain near the fall release of 15,000 cfs for the rest November. Garrison reservoir ended October at elevation 1841.3 feet, declining 0.2 foot during the month. The reservoir level is expected to remain nearly steady during November, ending the month near elevation 1841.4 feet.

Fort Peck Dam releases averaged 5,800 cfs during October. Releases will remain near 6,000 cfs during the fall. The reservoir ended October at elevation 2236.4 feet, declining 0.3 foot during the month. The reservoir is expected to fall approximately 0.3 foot during November ending the month near elevation 2236.1 feet.

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 683 million kWh of electricity in October. Typical energy generation for October is 805 million kWh. The power plants are projected to generate 9.6 billion kWh of electricity this year, compared to the long-term average of 9.3 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

 

WATER RELEASES AND ENERGY GENERATION FOR OCTOBER

 

 

Pool Elevation (feet above mean sea level)			Water in Storage (1,000 acre-feet)
	On October 31	Change in October	On October 31	% of 1967-2016 Average	Change in October
Fort Peck	2236.4	-0.3	15,297	105	-80
Garrison	1841.3	-0.2	18,959	105	-70
Oahe	1609.7	-0.7	19,364	114	-204
Big Bend	1420.3	-0.2	1,651	96	-9
Fort Randall	1344.2	-9.0	2,588	94	-669
Gavins Point	1207.8	+0.3	369	87	+7
		Total	58,228	107	-1,025