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  • Upper basin runoff forecast improves, remains below average; Fort Peck test flows to begin in late April

    The latest 2024 calendar year runoff forecast for the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa

  • Missouri River Basin spring public meetings announced

    Public Meetings are held each spring and fall across the Missouri River basin. Upper Basin spring public meetings will be held the week of March 25 in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana.

  • Despite early runoff, upper basin runoff forecast below average; Gavins Point releases to increase for navigation flow support

    A warm February led to increased snowmelt and runoff in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa. February runoff was 1.8 million acre-feet, 161% of average with above average runoff in every reach except Sioux City, which was near average. However, the updated 2024 calendar year runoff forecast for the basin continues to be below average.   

  • Below average runoff forecast for the upper Missouri River Basin in 2024

    **Last paragraph to note Forecast generation for 2024 is 8.6 billion kWh. It had been incorrectly stated as 2023.** The updated 2024 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 0.4 million acre-feet, 56% of average. Runoff was well-below-average due to much-below-normal temperatures over the whole Missouri River Basin and below-normal precipitation over most of the upper basin.

  • Dry conditions expected to persist for the Missouri River Basin

    For the 2023 calendar year, Missouri River Basin runoff above Sioux City, Iowa totaled 30.4 million acre-feet (MAF), 118% of average. Despite the above average runoff last year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is forecasting below-average runoff into the mainstem reservoir system this year. For 2024, runoff in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa is forecast to be 20.1 MAF, 78% of average.

  • Gavins Point Dam releases reduced to winter release rate on November 23

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began reducing the Gavins Point releases to the winter release rate on November 23 with the navigation flow support season ending on December 1 at St. Louis, MO. “Releases from Gavins Point Dam were reduced from 35,000 cubic feet per second to 13,000 cfs by mid-December,” said John Remus, chief of the USACE, 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.”

  • 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. “We will continue to make releases from Gavins Point Dam to provide flow support at an intermediate service level, 1,500 cfs less than full service, through the end of the navigation flow support season,” said John Remus, chief of the USACE, Missouri River Water Management Division.  “The flow support season will end on Dec. 1 at the mouth of the Missouri River.”

  • Stage Frequency Analysis from Snowmelt Runoff near Utqiaġvik, Alaska

    Abstract: For the village of Utqiaġvik, located at the North Slope of Alaska, a stone-armored revetment along the coastline is proposed to reduce coastal erosion. The inner drainage capacity of the revetment must be sufficient to handle seasonal runoff from snowmelt. For this effort, we investigated the snowmelt runoff and the hydraulic impact at the watershed outlet using numerical snow and hydraulic modeling of the study area. We validated the snow model results by comparing simulated snow water equivalent (SWE) values to field measurements. Additionally, the snow model was validated using satellite-based Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) snow-covered area (SCA) products and time-lapse camera imagery during snowmelt. Our results indicate that the simulated SWE and snowmelt dates agree closely with measured values. The timing of modeled runoff onset was less accurate due to natural processes that delay snowmelt runoff such as snow dams and refreeze. The effect of the uncertainty from both runoff timing and volume was addressed with a Monte Carlo simulation of stage-frequency curves for the lagoons that receive snowmelt runoff. These stage-frequency curves can be used directly in the design of outlet, drainage or discharge structures for the proposed revetment.

  • Reminder for Missouri River Basin fall public meetings

    This is a reminder that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will host its fall public meeting series for the Missouri River Basin November 7-9, 2023. These public meetings are held each spring and fall across the Missouri River Basin and provide an update on current year's runoff and reservoir operations, as well as planned operations for the next year's runoff season.

  • Initial Data Collection from a Fiber-Optic-Based Dam Seepage Monitoring and Detection System

    Abstract: Visual inspection is the most used method to detect seepage at dams. Early detection can be difficult with this method, and use of appropriate real time monitoring could significantly increase the chances of recognizing possible failure. Seepages can be identified by analyzing changes in water and soil temperature. Optical fiber placed at the embankment’s downstream toe has been proven to be an efficient means of detecting real time changes at short intervals over several kilometers. This study aims to demonstrate how temperatures measured using fiber optic distributed sensing can be used to monitor seepage at Moose Creek Dam, North Pole, Alaska. The fiber optic cable portion of the monitoring system is installed along a section of the embankment where sand boils have occurred. Though no flood event occurred during this monitoring period, routine pumping tests of nearby relief wells resulted in an increase of soil and water temperature (up to 13°C) along a 100 m section where sand boils were detected during the 2014 flood events. Measurements during a flood event are expected to provide a quantitative assessment of seepage and its rate.