The US Army Corps of Engineers continues work to open up as much flood control storage space as possible in the Missouri River reservoirs in anticipation of above normal runoff for 2020.
Conditions permitting, the Corps will increase releases from Gavins Point Dam at Yankton from 35,000 cubic feet per second to 41,000 cfs later this week.
Chief of the Corps’ Missouri River Basin Water Management Division John Remus says the increase is part of their aggressive strategy to maintain as much flood control storage as possible for as long as possible. He says releases will only be increased as long as the resulting downstream river stages are unlikely to impact the levee recovery effort or contribute to downstream flooding.
Remus says additionally, increased releases from Gavins Point will be monitored to ensure pool levels do not impact intakes that supply water from the Gavins Point reservoir for municipal and sanitary water use.
To see current conditions along the Missouri River, go to the US Army Corps of Engineers website.
