MSC News

MSC News National Headlines Sports Top Headlines CBS US News CBS Technology

Printer Friendly

Email to a Friend

Release rates into Missouri River to remain high

By John Nixon

09/09/2019

(KLZA)-- Higher than normal water releases from upstream dams into the Missouri River will continue into November according to a release from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Rainfall in the Missouri River basin above Sioux City, Iowa in August was more than 150 percent of normal in portions of Montana, North Dakota, much of South Dakota and parts of Nebraska.

The 2019 upper basin runoff forecast is 54.6 million acre-feet. If realized, this would be the second highest runoff in 121 years, surpassed only by 2011.

The water release rate at Gavins Point Dam near Yankton is currently at 70-thousand cubic feet per second, which is nearly twice the average release for this time of year.

This release rate was only eclipsed two times previously, 160-thousand cfs for approximately two months in 2011 and 100-thousand cfs for six hours earlier this year.

The Corps hopes to decrease the releases at Gavins Point through the end of the year, with a goal of getting it down to 62-thousand in October and toward the end of November, attempting to cut the release rate back to 20-thousand cubic feet per second. Runoff in the upper basin will determine the timeline and the cutback on releases.

You will need to be logged in to leave a comment.

Please Login

The posting of advertisements, profanity, or personal attacks is prohibited.

Click here to review our Terms of Use.