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Tag: Gavins Point Dam
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  • Gavins Point releases to remain steady through August

    Below-normal precipitation in Montana and Wyoming during July resulted in slightly below-average July runoff in the upper Basin. The 2020 calendar year upper basin runoff forecast, updated on August 3, is 30.9 million acre-feet (MAF), 120% of average. Average annual runoff for the upper basin is 25.8 MAF.
  • No thru traffic on Crest Road July 9

    The spillway and powerplant road across Gavins Point Dam near Yankton, South Dakota, will be closed from 9 a.m. through 11 a.m. on Thursday, July 9, for maintenance. This will prohibit thru traffic on the road that crosses Gavins Point Dam, also known as Crest Road. People are asked to take alternate routes during the closure.
  • ​Releases from Gavins Point Dam to decrease

    “The upper basin runoff forecast has been reduced by about 1 MAF due to the recent dry conditions as well as the National Weather Service’s climate outlook, which is indicating that the remainder of the summer will be warmer and drier than normal. However, the 2020 calendar year runoff forecast remains above average, mostly due to the very wet soil conditions during the early months of the year. Most of the mountain snowmelt runoff has entered the reservoir system. Remaining summer runoff will depend on rainfall events,” said John Remus, chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Missouri River Basin Water Management Division. “As a result of the reduced runoff forecast, we will reduce Gavins Point Dam releases to 30,000 cfs on July 7,” Remus added.
  • No through traffic on Crest Road Wednesday

    The spillway and powerplant roadway at Gavins Point Dam near Yankton, South Dakota, will be closed Wedensday from 8 a.m. to noon for maintenance. This will prohibit through traffic on the road that crosses Gavins Point Dam, also known as the Crest Road.
  • Upper Missouri River basin forecast remains above average

    Water releases from Gavins Point Dam will remain at 33,000 cubic feet per second in June, which is about average. May runoff in the upper Basin was about 130% of average; however, the summer climate outlook indicates a return to warmer and drier conditions in the upper Basin.
  • Proposal for Gavins Point Dam underseepage control measures available for public comment

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, is seeking comments on a draft environmental assessment for a proposal to implement additional underseepage control measures at Gavins Point Dam near Yankton, South Dakota. Comments on the draft EA will be accepted until May 27, 2020.
  • Missouri River water management public meeting presentations available online

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Missouri River Water Management Division has released four videos of presentations that would normally be given at public meetings held throughout the Missouri River Basin. In-person public meetings on Missouri River Mainstem Reservoir System operations originally scheduled for April were canceled to further reduce potential exposure to COVID-19. Instead, the agency will host virtual question and answer sessions in late April. A web page with the videos, a form for submitting questions, and call in dates and times is located here: https://go.usa.gov/xvBpc.
  • Forecast runoff for upper Missouri River basin lower after warm spring

    Gavins Point releases are forecast to remain near 35,000 cubic feet per second through the month of April. The upper Missouri River basin March runoff fell in line with the March 1 forecast. Runoff above Sioux City, Iowa was 5.5 million acre feet, which is almost two times average. The above average runoff was primarily due to plains snow melting over heavily saturated soils. “The warmer-than-normal temperatures melted most of the plains snow in the eastern and central Dakotas. Along with the steady, but near average, rate of snow accumulation in the mountains, the projected upper Missouri River basin runoff for 2020 has been slightly reduced,” said John Remus, chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (Corps) Missouri River Basin Water Management Division.
  • Invasive species mussel in on Gavins Point Dam

    When you’re talking about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ six mainstem dams on the Missouri River, the word small is a relative term. While the dams and their powerhouses vary in size, they are all imposing structures. For instance, Gavins Point Dam, near Yankton, South Dakota, is the smallest of the six, yet it took 7 million cubic yards of earth to build and its three Kaplan generators are capable of generating electricity for 68,000 homes. This makes it that much more ironic that something as small as a zebra mussel could give it such big problems.
  • Lewis and Clark Visitor Center closed for tile installation but will be open through winter.

    The Lewis and Clark Visitor Center, near Yankton, SD, will be closed from Monday, November 4 through Thursday, November 7 for the installation of new tile in the restrooms. The center, which is located on Nebraska Highway 121 near the Gavins Point Dam, will reopen on Friday, November 8.