Late season plains snowpack accumulation and subsequent melting led to increased runoff throughout the upper Missouri River Basin during April.
The US Army Corps of Engineers says for the month, runoff was 159% of average (4.7 million acre-feet) for the Missouri River basin above Sioux City.
The runoff forecast continues to improve thanks to late season plains and mountain snowfall in the upper basin, said John Remus, chief of the Corps’ Missouri River Basin Water Management Division. He says the annual runoff forecast for the upper Missouri River Basin is 105% of average (26.9 MAF). However, soil moisture remains slightly below normal in eastern Montana and the western Dakotas, and well below normal in Nebraska. Even with the plains snowmelt, soils dried out in late April over a large portion of the upper basin.
Oahe Dam
- Average releases past month – 9,100 cfs
- Forecast average release rate – 14,200 cfs
- End-of-April reservoir level – 1599.8 feet
- Forecast end-of-May reservoir level – 1602.1 feet
Big Bend Dam
- Average releases past month – 10,300 cfs
- Forecast average release rate – 14,300 cfs
- Forecast reservoir level – 1420.9 feet
Hydropower:
The six mainstem power plants generated 425 million kWh of electricity in April, down from the typical April energy generation amount of 699 million kWh. The power plants are expected to generate 7.6 billion kWh in , compared to the long-term average of 9.4 billion kWh.
The Missouri Basin Web App provides links to these reports and others that are updated more frequently.
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