The US Army Corps of Engineers has updated its 2022 runoff forecast for the Missouri River– and it’s slightly higher than last month’s (May 2022) estimate.
The new forecast is 71% of average– or 18.3 million acre feed. That’s point-five-MAF higher than last month. If realized, this runoff amount would be the 25th lowest calendar year runoff since 1898.
John Remus is the chief of the Corps’ Missouri River Basin Water Management Division. He says a wet April and May in North Dakota resulted in wetter soils in the state, but dry soils remain in the rest of the Basin. He says 8% of the basin is still in extreme drought conditions, mostly in Montana.
Due to the ongoing drought and the amount of water stored in the reservoir system, Remus says water conservation measures will likely continue through the remainder of 2022 and into 2023.
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