The US Army Corps of Engineers says upper Missouri River basin system storage has declined by about 0.7 MAF in the past week with 9.8 MAF currently stored in the system’s flood control zones.
Mike Swenson with the Corps’ Missouri River Water Management Division says the Oahe reservoir was down about half a foot last week. He says the reservoir is 8.4 feet above the base of the annual flood control zone. Releases from Oahe are currently about 57,000 cubic feet per second and are expected to remain near that rate through September.
The updated three-week forecast shows Gavins Point releases will be held at 70,000 cfs into late September to manage reservoir levels and continue evacuating water from the reservoirs.
Swenson says the Corps will continue to monitor conditions in the basin and make any necessary release adjustments late this summer and into the fall. He says long-range monthly forecasts will be updated this week.
