Missouri River Basin Water Management

Test flows from Fort Peck Dam to comply with the 2018 Biological Opinion were recommenced Monday, June 17 after a delay. The test flow's second peak resumed but with a lower peak set at Wolf Point, Montana of 20,000 cfs. Flows begin stepping down today and the gates are expected to close next week.

Extremely high unregulated tributary flows following heavy rains have led to destructive flooding along the tributaries and will send floodwaters into the Missouri River. Fort Randall Dam is operating with minimal releases and Gavins Point dam closed the spillway gates today and lowered releases to 20,000 cfs. The Omaha and Kansas City Districts are providing support to local communities

Extremely high unregulated tributary flows following heavy rains have led to destructive flooding along the tributaries and will send floodwaters into the Missouri River. Fort Randall Dam is operating with minimal releases and Gavins Point dam continues releases at 24,000 cfs with 15,000 cfs through the spillway and 9,000 cfs through the powerhouse. Even with the lower than normal release, high fl...

Extremely high unregulated tributary flows following heavy rains have led to destructive flooding along the tributaries and will send floodwaters into the Missouri River. Fort Randall Dam is operating with minimal releases and Gavins Point dam has releases lowered to 24,000 cfs with 15,000 cfs through the spillway and 9,000 cfs through the powerhouse. Even with the lower than normal release, high...

Heavy rains rainfall and forecast inflows into the Gavins Point reservoir from the Niobrara River, and other tributaries, have spurred release changes at Fort Randall and Gavins Point dams. Additionally, the Omaha District and Kansas City District Emergency Operations Centers have activated to provide response to local communities.

Test flows from Fort Peck Dam to comply with the 2018 Biological Opinion were recommenced Monday, June 17 after a delay due to the Missouri River gage at Williston's forecast stage of 22.6 feet on June 15. Once river stages dropped below 22 feet, the test flow's second peak resumed but with a lower peak set at Wolf Point, Montana of 20,000 cfs. 2,500 cfs lower than the initially planned peak.

Test flows from Fort Peck Dam to comply with the 2018 Biological Opinion were scheduled to start increasing this week to 22,000 cfs. However, flow increases are delayed due to the Missouri River gage at Williston's forecast stage of 22.6 feet on June 15. A test protocol halts or delays release increases if the Williston gage is forecast to go about 22 feet.

May runoff for the Basin above Sioux City, Iowa was 3.5 MAF,104% of average. The annual runoff forecast above Sioux City, Iowa is 21.0 MAF, 82% of average, and 1.8 MAF higher than last month’s forecast. System storage is currently 55.0 MAF, 1.1 MAF below the top of the carryover multiple use zone. During May, System storage increased 1.0 MAF.

Test flows from Fort Peck Dam to comply with the 2018 Biological Opinion were lowered to a target of 10,000 cfs (at Wolf Point) and start increasing around mid-June to reach 22,000 cfs. The test is required under the Endangered Species Act for operation of the Missouri River Mainstem Reservoir System. These weekly virtual meetings are aimed at updating the public on test progress, monitoring and p...

Test flows from Fort Peck Dam to comply with the 2018 Biological Opinion were lowered to a target of 10,000 cfs (at Wolf Point) and start increasing around June 11 reachng 22,000 cfs on June 20. The test is required under the Endangered Species Act for operation of the Missouri River Mainstem Reservoir System. These weekly virtual meetings are aimed at updating the public on test progress, monitor...

Test flows from Fort Peck Dam to comply with the 2018 Biological Opinion were lowered to a target of 10,000 cfs (at Wolf Point) and will held through mid-June. The test is required under the Endangered Species Act for operation of the Missouri River Mainstem Reservoir System. These weekly virtual meetings are aimed at updating the public on test progress, monitoring and planned operations.

Test flows from Fort Peck Dam to comply with the 2018 Biological Opinion were lowered to a target of 10,000 cfs (at Wolf Point) and will held through mid-June. The test is required under the Endangered Species Act for operation of the Missouri River Mainstem Reservoir System. These weekly virtual meetings are aimed at updating the public on test progress, monitoring and planned operations.

Spring precipitation in the Missouri River Basin brought some much-needed moisture. April runoff was 2.1 MAF, 71% of average, for the basin above Sioux City, Iowa. The annual runoff forecast for the upper Missouri River Basin above Sioux City is 19.2 MAF, 75% of average, and 1.7 MAF higher than last month’s forecast. Drought conditions in the upper Basin are likely to persist. System storage is 49...

Test flows from Fort Peck Dam to comply with the 2018 Biological Opinion are beginning to be lowered to a target of 10,000 cfs on May 9 and held through mid-June. The test is required under the Endangered Species Act for operation of the Missouri River Mainstem Reservoir System. These weekly virtual meetings are aimed at updating the public on test progress, monitoring and planned operations.

Test flows from Fort Peck Dam to comply with the 2018 Biological Opinion began Fri., April 26. The 2018 Biological Opinion requires the test under the Endangered Species Act for operation of the Missouri River Mainstem Reservoir System. These weekly virtual meetings during the flow test to update the public on test progress, monitoring and planned operations.

Test flows from Fort Peck Dam to comply with the 2018 Biological Opinion will begin Fri., April 26. The 2018 Biological Opinion requires the test under the Endangered Species Act for operation of the Missouri River Mainstem Reservoir System. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will host weekly virtual meetings during the flow test to update the public on test progress and planned operations.

The latest 2024 calendar year runoff forecast for the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa shows slight improvement. The 2024 calendar year runoff forecast above Sioux City is 17.5 million acre-feet (MAF), 68% of average. March runoff in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City was 1.8 MAF, 59% of average. Even with the lower than average runoff forecast the hydrologic conditions are suffi...

A warm February led to increased snowmelt and runoff in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa. February runoff was 1.8 million acre-feet, 161% of average with above average runoff in every reach except Sioux City, which was near average. However, the updated 2024 calendar year runoff forecast for the basin continues to be below average.

January runoff in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City was 0.4 million acre-feet, 56% of average. Runoff was well-below-average due to much-below-normal temperatures over the whole Missouri River Basin and below-normal precipitation over most of the upper basin. The 2024 calendar year runoff forecast above Sioux City is 18.8 MAF, 73% of average. The runoff forecast is based on current soil mo...

As the colder, winter temperatures enter the basin, USACE will closely monitor Missouri River ice conditions between the System reservoirs and downstream of Gavins Point Dam for potential ice jams that could impact river stages and water intakes. Runoff in the upper Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa, was 1.1 million acre-feet (MAF) during November, 107% of average. The 2023 calendar year...

Rainfall in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa, was above normal for August, resulting in above average runoff. However, due previous years' drier-than-normal conditions leaves the total storage in the Missouri River mainstem reservoir system below normal. Based on the Sept. 1 system storage, Gavins Point Dam winter releases will be 13,000 cfs, per the Master Manual criteria. This cal...

Above average rainfall and fast-melting snow led to above average runoff in the upper Missouri River Basin in June. Runoff above Sioux City, Iowa was 6.7 million acre-feet, which is 122% of average. The annual runoff forecast above Sioux City, Iowa is 29.2 MAF, 114% of average, and about 2.4 MAF higher than last month’s forecast. Precipitation was normal to much-above-normal for the month of June...

Warm temperatures in the mountainous region of the upper Missouri River Basin has led to a quick melt of the mountain snowpack. The rapid melting combined with precipitation in the western half of the Basin resulted in above-average inflow into the reservoir system. May runoff for the Basin above Sioux City, Iowa was 4.9 million acre-feet, 144% of average. "The warm temperatures in the northern Ro...

Late season plains snowpack accumulation and subsequent melting led to increased runoff throughout the upper Missouri River Basin during April. For the month, runoff was 4.7 million acre-feet, 159% of average, for the basin above Sioux City, IA. The annual runoff forecast for the upper Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, IA is 26.9 MAF, 105% of average, and 0.5 MAF higher than last month’s fore...

The updated 2023 calendar year runoff forecast for the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa, continues to be below average. The 2023 calendar year runoff forecast above Sioux City is 21.5 million acre feet, 84% of average. The runoff forecast is based on current soil moisture conditions, plains snowpack, mountain snowpack, and long-term precipitation and temperature outlooks. February runof...