The US Army Corps of Engineers says runoff in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa, last month (Sept. 2023) was 109% of the long-term average (1.3 million acre-feet). The annual runoff forecast for the upper Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, IA is 113% of average (29.1 MAF) and the same as last month’s forecast.
John Remus, chief of the Corps’ Missouri River Basin Water Management Division, says soil moisture conditions have improved in parts of the basin, but much of the lower basin as well as parts of Montana and North and South Dakota remain abnormally dry. These drought conditions are expected to persist through the end of the year.
The six mainstem power plants generated 919 million kWh of electricity in September, which is 19 million kWh more than a typical September. 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.
Total system storage as of Sept. 30, 2023, was 54.2 million acre-feet, which is 1.9 MAF below the base of the flood control zone. System storage is expected to continue to decline through the fall, ending up at approximately 4 MAF below the base of the flood control zone at the start of the 2024 runoff season.
Big Bend Dam
- Average releases past month – 32,100 cfs
- Forecast average release rate – 22,000 cfs
- Forecast reservoir level – 1420.7 feet
Oahe Dam
- Average releases past month – 32,900 cfs
- Forecast average release rate – 22,300 cfs
- End-of-September reservoir level – 1600.3 feet
- Forecast end-of-October reservoir level – 1599.0 feet
To view the detailed three-week release forecast for the mainstem dams, go to http://go.usa.gov/xVgWr.
In mid-September, the USACE posted the draft 2023-2024 Annual Operating Plan on its website at: https://www.nwd.usace.army.mil/MRWM/Public-Meetings/. The comment period on the draft AOP will close on Nov. 30, 2023. They will hold public meetings at various locations along the upper Missouri River basin next month (Nov. 2023). The complete list of dates and locations of the meetings are:
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Nov. 7, Poplar, MT @ 10:00am MT – Fort Peck Community College, 605 Indian Ave
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Nov. 7, Bismarck, ND @ 5:00pm CT – Bismarck State College, National Energy Center of Excellence (NECE), Bldg. 15, Bavendick Stateroom 1200 Schafer Street
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Nov. 8, Pierre, SD @ 10:00am CT – Ramkota Hotel, 920 West Sioux Avenue
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Nov. 8, Lower Brule, SD @ 1:00pm CT – Lower Brule Community Center
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Nov. 9, Smithville, MO @ 11:00am CT – Jerry Litton Visitor Center, Smithville Dam 16311 DD Hwy
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Nov. 9, Bellevue, NE @ 6:00pm CT – Bellevue University, Hitchcock Humanities Center, 1040 Bruin Blvd
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