Rainfall in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa, was above normal for the month of August 2023, resulting in above average runoff.
However, the US Army Corps of Engineers says due to drier-than-normal conditions in previous years, the total storage in the Missouri River mainstem reservoir system remains lower than normal.
August runoff was 121% of average above Sioux City (1.7 million acre-feet). The updated 2023 calendar year forecast for the upper Basin is 113% of average (29.1 MAF).
System storage is expected to continue to decline through the fall. The updated reservoir studies indicate that the System storage is expected to be approximately 3.7 MAF below the base of flood control at the start of the 2022 runoff season.
The six mainstem power plants generated 907 million kWh of electricity in August 2023, below the typical energy generation for the month of 1,009 million kWh. The power plants are projected to generate 7.9 billion kWh of electricity this year, compared to the long-term average of 9.4 billion kWh.
Reservoir Forecasts:
Oahe Dam
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Average releases past month – 27,900 cfs
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Forecast average release rate – 31,900 cfs
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End-of-August reservoir level – 1602.8 feet
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Forecast end-of-September reservoir level – 1600.3 feet
Big Bend Dam
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Average releases past month – 28,300 cfs
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Forecast average release rate – 31,200 cfs
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Forecast reservoir level – 1420.7 feet
To view the detailed three-week release forecast for the mainstem dams, go to http://go.usa.gov/xVgWr.
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