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  • Missouri River upper basin runoff continues below average forecast

    The updated 2025 calendar year runoff forecast for the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa, continues to be below average. March runoff in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City was 2.3 million acre-feet, 76% of average.

  • Bacterial Remediation of Microsystin-HAB Toxins Utilizing Microcystinase (MlrA)

    Abstract: Microcystins are a class of hepatotoxins produced by some harmful algal bloom–associated cyanobacteria and are the most reported tox-ins in freshwaters. Their cyclic structure makes them resistant to conventional methods used in water treatment operations (boiling, chlorination, and UV treatment). Some bacteria can naturally degrade microcystins via the mlrABCD cluster, a pathway initiated by the primary enzyme microcystinase (MlrA). MlrA linearizes the cyclic microcystin, greatly reducing its toxicity. Protein fusion was employed to produce a recombinant MlrA enzyme fused to maltose-binding protein ([MBP] MBP-MlrA) and to evaluate long-term enzymatic stabilization and reconstitution for future applications. MBP-MlrA degraded cyclic microcystin in vitro and demonstrated stability across a range of biological pHs. At a concentration of 0.61 ng/µl in buffer, MBP-MlrA achieved and maintained an average degradation rate of approximately 101.95 µM/h/ng of protein across fifteen freeze/thaw cycles. Stability assays demonstrated that enzyme activity was preserved over 5 months at −20°C. Results also demonstrated the effectiveness of MBP-MlrA to linearize microcystin upwards of 55.59 µM/h/ng of protein at the bench scale in both buffer and various freshwater matrices. The presence of the linear metabolite is of concern regarding intermediate toxicity, and future studies to incorporate the MlrB peptidase are discussed.

  • Virtual Missouri River water management public meetings set for April

    Two meetings to hear from the public about planned operation of the Missouri River Mainstem System will be held the first week in April.

  • Spring Missouri River public meetings to be virtual

    Virtual meetings on Missouri River Mainstem Reservoir system operations are in the process of being scheduled. Meeting dates and times will be announced as the details are finalized. In-person public meetings on Missouri River Mainstem Reservoir system operations, which were scheduled for March 19, 31 and April 2 have been canceled.

  • Gavins Point releases increasing for navigation flow support; Upper basin runoff stays below average

    The updated 2025 calendar year runoff forecast for the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa, continues to be below average. February runoff in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City was 1.0 million acre-feet, 91% of average. “Runoff into the reservoir system was slightly below average for the month of February and conditions across most of the basin remain dry,” said John Remus, chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Missouri River Basin Water Management Division.

  • Below average runoff continues for upper Missouri River Basin in 2025

    The updated 2025 calendar year runoff forecast for the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa, continues to be below average. January runoff in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City was 0.7 million acre-feet, 92% of average. Runoff was near or below average for most of the Missouri River Basin, and most of the upper basin had below-normal precipitation.

  • Below-average runoff and reservoir storage expected for the Missouri River Mainstem System in 2025

    For the 2024 calendar year, Missouri River basin runoff above Sioux City, Iowa totaled 23.3 million acre-feet, 91% of average. Dry conditions continue to affect the upper Missouri River Basin at the start of the 2025 calendar year, so the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is forecasting below-average runoff into the mainstem reservoir system. For 2025, runoff in the Missouri River basin above Sioux City, Iowa is forecast to be 20.2 MAF, 79% of average.

  • Gavins Point Dam releases reduced to winter release rate

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began reducing the Gavins Point releases to the winter release rate on Nov. 23 with the navigation flow support season ending on Dec. 1 at St. Louis. “Releases from Gavins Point Dam are being reduced to the 12,000 cubic feet per second winter release rate by mid-December,” said John Remus, Chief of the Missouri River Water Management Division. “We will closely monitor river conditions, and releases will be adjusted to the extent practical to lessen the impacts of river ice formation on stages in the lower river.” Releases were at 32,000 cfs prior to the reductions.

  • Gavins Point Dam releases to be reduced to winter release rate

    Gavins Point Dam releases will be reduced in late November as flow support to navigation ends. Releases are currently 32,000 cubic feet per second.

  • Literature Review of Microseira wollei Distribution, Environmental Drivers, and Risks: Lake St. Clair, Michigan, Case Study

    Abstract: Microseira wollei (formerly Lyngbya wollei) has grown to noxious densities within Lake St. Clair, located between Lake Erie and Lake Huron. De-spite the limited data on this cyanobacterium within Lake St. Clair, data exists for M. wollei within the Great Lakes region and in the southeastern United States, where water resource managers have been managing growths for decades. These data provide pertinent insights into the environmental distribution, environmental drivers, risks, and management of M. wollei, which is mainly distributed within eastern states and provinces in North America, from Canada to Florida. Environmental drivers may be site-specific and specific to the M. wollei population; therefore, the environmental drivers identified in this literature review are a starting point to inform further investigations. M. wollei within Lake St. Clair may pose risks to humans. Risks may originate from toxins, disinfection by-products, and, potentially, fecal indicator bacteria. M. wollei has the potential to produce a range of toxins; however, the most prevalent toxins are saxitoxins, a group of neurotoxins. This literature review will help the US Army Corps of Engineers Detroit District; Macomb County, Michigan; and other interested parties understand potential triggers for growth, communicate risks, and help develop an adaptive management framework.