The US Army Corps of Engineers isn’t likely to accommodate a request to marginally increase releases from Gavins Point Dam at Yankton this winter.
South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds and Gov. Kristi Noem say the increase would create additional storage to hold the anticipated much higher than normal amount of runoff this spring.
Chief of the Corps’ Missouri River Water Management Division John Remus says current conditions aren’t allowing that to happen.
Kevin Grode is the reservoir regulation team lead for the Corps’ Missouri Basin Water Management Office. He says the level at the Oahe Reservoir should actually go down over the next two months.
Missouri River power production team leader Mike Swenson says releases from Oahe should be similar to releases from Gavins Point Dam this month and next.
Forecasted 2020 upper basin runoff is 36.3 million-acre feet, which, if realized would be the ninth highest in 125 years of record keeping.
Oahe reservoir:
- Average releases past month – 31,800 cfs. Average is 21,000 cfs for January.
- Forecast average release rate – 29,900 cfs. 18,200 cfs for February. 18,100 cfs for March.
- End-of-December reservoir level – 1607.9 feet (falling 2.2 feet during December).
- Forecast end-of-January reservoir level – 1607.3 feet.