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Army Corps Adjusts Water Releases

The Missouri River near Pierre, just south of the Oahe Dam
Kealey Bultena
/
SDPB
The Missouri River near Pierre, just south of the Oahe Dam

 

 

Officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are adjusting release rates out of Garrison Dam in North Dakota and Gavins Point Dam near Yankton. 

 

John Remus is the Chief of the Army Corps' Missouri River Basin Water Management Division.  He says releases are up to 60,000 cubic feet per second at Garrison. Remus describes what the Army Corps is expecting for parts of the Dakotas.  

 

 

 

"The projection now at our current 60,000 cfs release is that we would still be a foot and a half below flood stage at Bismarck. And then, our Oahe releases are going to be between 40,000 and 50,000 cubic feet per second, we would not expect any flooding from those particular releases in the Pierre-Fort Pierre area."

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Areas across Montana, the Dakotas and northwestern Iowa have picked up several inches of rain over the past few weeks. As of Friday night, the National Weather Service has issued flood warnings for parts of the Big Sioux and Vermillion Rivers, and for Split Rock Creek in East River. 

 

Remus says the rain has led to a gradual change in water releases at Gavins Point from 36,000 cubic feet per second yesterday morning to 24,000 cubic feet per second as of 6 p.m. Friday.  

 

He says officials will hike the releases by about 4,000 cubic feet per second per day after the tributaries peak.  

 

The three-week forecast from the Army Corps of Engineers shows releases at Gavins Point rising to 50,000 cubic feet per second by Independence Day.