Releases from Garrison Dam have been reduced to a rate of 54,000 cfs and will drop to 50,000 cfs this Thursday. After a month at 60,000 cfs, releases were reduced to 57,000 cfs on July 24.
The gage at Bismarck peaked at a stage of 13.4 feet on June 29, which is approximately 1 foot below flood stage. Rapid mountain snowmelt in June coupled with heavy rains in Montana and northern Wyoming, would have caused much higher stages in Bismarck without Garrison Dam capturing that runoff. Instead of a peak of 13.4 feet on June 29, the river rise would have begun in late March hovering above flood stage through late June with a peak stage of 19.2 feet.