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Category: Water Management - Missouri River
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  • 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.

  • Higher-than-average releases from Missouri River Mainstem projects to continue

    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, the service level was increased 25,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) above full service in late June to facilitate the evacuation of stored flood waters. The increased service level means that Gavins Point releases will be increased to approximately 60,000 cfs, as downstream tributary flows recede.

  • Corps to step up Gavins Point releases

    OMAHA, Neb. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Missouri River Basin Water Management Division has announced plans to step up releases from Gavins Point Dam. Gavins Point releases were reduced from 44,000 to 24,000 cfs in mid-June due to high flows downstream of the Missouri River mainstem reservoir system. “Gavins Point releases will be stepped up over several days in the coming week as downstream flows drop off, reaching approximately 50,000 cfs by early to mid-July,” said John Remus, Chief of the Missouri River Basin Water Management Division. “Due to the amount of water in storage, releases from all of the System dams will be maintained at higher-than-average rates over the next several months.”

  • Garrison releases will increase to 60,000 CFS to address recent rainfall

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Missouri River Basin Water Management Division has announced plans to make additional release increases from Garrison Dam. “Releases are being stepped up from 52,000 cfs to 60,000 cfs,” said John Remus, Chief of the Missouri River Basin Water Management Division. “Releases will be increased over 3 days, reaching the 60,000 cfs rate on June 23.”

  • Garrison Dam releases increased

    In order to meet the 44,000 cfs release, the Garrison Project initiated releases of 3,000 cfs through its regulating tunnels. This release supplements the 41,000 cfs release through the power plant for a combined release of 44,000 cfs.

  • Higher than average releases from Missouri River Mainstem projects to continue

    Higher-than-average releases from all Missouri River System projects, including Gavins Point, will continue over the next several months. Gavins Point releases will be adjusted, when needed, in response to basin conditions. When necessary, the Corps will reduce releases from the System projects and utilize the available flood control space in the reservoirs, in order to lessen flooding downstream of all the projects. It is important to note that the ability to significantly reduce flood risk along the lower Missouri River diminishes at locations further downstream due to the large uncontrolled drainage area and the travel time from Gavins Point Dam. The 2018 runoff forecast in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa, is 34.6 million acre feet (MAF), 136 percent of average.

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