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Category: Water Management - Missouri River
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  • Contracts awarded for establishment of Upper Missouri Basin Monitoring Network

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District has recently awarded multiple contracts with state and federal agencies and private firms to establish the Upper Missouri Basin Monitoring Network for soil moisture and plains snowpack.

  • August inflows much below average in northern Missouri River Basin

    August precipitation was well-below normal in the Missouri River Basin, particularly in the western and far northern portions, which received less than 25% of normal precipitation. The lack of precipitation and dry soil conditions resulted in 74% of average August runoff in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa (upper Basin). The 2020 calendar year forecast for the upper Basin, updated on September 1, is 30.6 million acre-feet (MAF), 119% of average. Average annual runoff for the upper Basin is 25.8 MAF. Runoff in the upper Basin during the remainder of 2020 is forecast to be below average.

  • Fort Peck releases to change slightly

    Releases from Fort Peck dam will be increased from 9,000 cubic feet per second to as much as 11,000 cfs to address conditions immediately downstream of the dam. Releases will begin increasing on Aug. 14, or once planned maintenance projects at the Fort Peck power house are completed.

  • Gavins Point releases to remain steady through August

    Below-normal precipitation in Montana and Wyoming during July resulted in slightly below-average July runoff in the upper Basin. The 2020 calendar year upper basin runoff forecast, updated on August 3, is 30.9 million acre-feet (MAF), 120% of average. Average annual runoff for the upper basin is 25.8 MAF.

  • Releases from Fort Peck Dam to decline during maintenance work

    Releases from Fort Peck Dam will be reduced from 11,000 cubic feet per second to 8,500 cfs on July 28 and then increase slightly to 9,000 cfs on July 29. A Power Plant maintenance project originally scheduled for June was rescheduled for late July. The project will require outages on Units 1, 2, and 3 to support testing on Unit 2.

  • ​Releases from Gavins Point Dam to decrease

    “The upper basin runoff forecast has been reduced by about 1 MAF due to the recent dry conditions as well as the National Weather Service’s climate outlook, which is indicating that the remainder of the summer will be warmer and drier than normal. However, the 2020 calendar year runoff forecast remains above average, mostly due to the very wet soil conditions during the early months of the year. Most of the mountain snowmelt runoff has entered the reservoir system. Remaining summer runoff will depend on rainfall events,” said John Remus, chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Missouri River Basin Water Management Division. “As a result of the reduced runoff forecast, we will reduce Gavins Point Dam releases to 30,000 cfs on July 7,” Remus added.

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