When combined, the three big reservoirs in the Upper Missouri River Basin are coming out of winter about 2 million acre feet below the top of the “Carryover Multiple Use Zone.”
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Reservoir Regulation Team Leader Ryan Larsen says that’s lower than they’d like it to be.
Larsen says runoff into the Upper Basin this winter has been below average.
Larsen says the peak of the Plains snow accumulation happened Jan. 21, 2024.
He says Mountain snowpack is also below normal.
Larsen says soil moisture is another factor in runoff potential.
One acre foot of water is the equivalent of 325,851 gallons.
Larsen spoke during the Corps’ annual spring meeting for the Oahe Reservoir, which was held Wednesday (March 27, 2024) in Fort Pierre.
Image courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey.
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