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Releases from Garrison Dam to be temporarily lowered

Missouri River Water Management Division

Published May 12, 2025

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Garrison Dam and Lake Sakakawea near Riverdale, North Dakota. Higher-than-average lake levels in the upper Missouri River Basin in 2018 are the result of runoff from heavy mountain snowpack and late spring rainfall in the Yellowstone River basin.

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On August 6, crews at Garrison Dam will partially open 9 of the 28 spillway gates to release water at a rate of about 9,000 cfs. Before opening the spillway gates, crews will close the regulating tunnels. This will allow for an inspection of the regulating tunnels and a test of the spillway repairs made following the flooding in 2011.

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OMAHA, Neb. --

To assist with the recovery of a tugboat that sank on the Missouri River on Tuesday, May 6, releases from Garrison Dam will be reduced.

Beginning tonight, Monday, May 12, releases will be reduced from 21,000 cubic-feet per-second to approximately 12,000 cfs. Releases at that rate will hold until noon on Tuesday, May 13.

The change to releases on Monday will show an average release of about 19,000 cfs May 12 and an average release of about 17,000 cfs May 13.

Missouri River stages downstream of Garrison Dam will drop about one foot near Bismarck, North Dakota by Wednesday, May 14.

“River stages will be slightly lower than they were in early May,” said John Remus, chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Missouri River Basin Water Management Division.

“Because reduced releases will also reduce power generation, we have informed the Western Area Power Administration of the changes and the plans to return to forecast operations.”

The daily average release of 21,000 cfs will be restored on May 14 and increased to 24,000 cfs on Friday, May 16.

The change to releases will not impact operations at other Missouri River Mainstem projects.