The US Army Corps of Engineers says Oahe Dam releases are expected to average 47-thousand cubic feet per second this month (Sept.).
Corps of Engineers operations project manager for the Oahe Project Eric Stasch (stosh) says scheduled maintenance started today (Sept. 10) so releases are being made from the powerhouse and the regulating tunnels.
He says because of the maintenance, gates 4 and 5 the Oahe Power House are closed.
Stasch says to maintain the necessary daily release, one outlet tunnel is being used.
With the reduced release, Stasch says the water levels at Fort Pierre and Pierre will be going down.
Stasch says the work affecting gates 4 and 5 is expected to be done by mid-October, but then two other gates will undergo maintenance.
The US Army Corps of Engineers says higher-than-average releases from all Missouri River Mainstem System dams will continue through the fall, but they will continue to monitor conditions and will adjust System regulation based on the most up-to-date information.
To view the detailed three-week release forecast for the mainstem dams, go to http://www.nwd-mr.usace.army.mil/rcc/reports/twregfcast.pdf.
In late September, the Corps will issue the 2018-2019 draft Annual Operating Plan for the Missouri River Mainstem System. It will be available at: http://www.nwd.usace.army.mil/MRWM/Public-Meetings/. The agency also will present a synopsis of its 2018 operations and plans for regulating the reservoir system in 2019 at public meetings in six cities throughout the basin in early November. Meeting times and locations will be announced when additional details become available.
