News Release
| Release Number: | 08-016 |
| Dated: | 10/1/2008 |
| Contact: | Paul T Johnston, 402-697-2552 |
OMAHA – The draft 2008-2009 Annual Operating Plan for the Missouri River has been released by the Army Corps of Engineers for public comment. The plan presents information on the anticipated regulation of the Missouri River main stem reservoir system for 2009 and the remainder of 2008.
Six public meetings will be conducted this month to present and discuss the plan. Comments, both oral and written, will be accepted by Corps until Nov. 21.
The draft plan proposes two “spring pulses” to satisfy requirements of the Amended 2003 Biological Opinion published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The opinion identified pulses in the spring from Gavins Point Dam as part of the Reasonable and Prudent Alternative to avoid jeopardizing the continued existence of the pallid sturgeon. The ancient fish is listed for protection by the Endangered Species Act. The pulses will be conducted in March and May.
The draft plan anticipates that there will be only minimum flows at the start of the 2009 navigation season which could be shortened by 0 to 30 days, depending on runoff this winter and spring. A final determination on season length will be made on July 1, 2009.
Steady to rising reservoir levels during the spring fish spawn are likely if there is normal or above normal runoff. However, continued drought conditions may not make that possible at all the upper three reservoirs. To the extent reasonably possible, the Corps will set releases at Garrison Dam to result in a steady to rising pool during April and May. The ability to provide such conditions depends on the volume, time and distribution of the runoff from melting snow on the plains and in the mountains of Montana and Wyoming.
The carefully monitored pulses from Gavins Point Dam in the spring are intended to mimic the historic ebb and flow of the river to benefit the spawning of the pallid sturgeon. While smaller than the spring rises that this ancient fish adapted to over the millennia, the pulses are considered essential to the continued existence of the species.
The 2009 plan includes the “flood control constraints” contained in the Master Water Control Manual. These are the river levels that act as triggers for reducing releases from Gavins Point during high downstream flows. Both pulses may be reduced or eliminated due to these downstream flow limits.
An additional safeguard is the incorporation of observed and anticipated rain into the daily river forecast to provide greater assurance that flows will remain below the flow limits.
The water needed for the May pulse, will be gradually staged in Fort Randall reservoir prior to the pulses, further reducing negative impacts to storage in the three largest reservoirs of Oahe, Garrison and Fort Peck.
Prior to implementing the May pulse, the Corps will coordinate with the affected Tribes and States to evaluate options to minimize adverse impacts. These include water quality due to low water levels, water intakes, historic and cultural sites and reservoir fisheries.
Features of the 2009 spring rise include:
March Pulse
1. Magnitude will be 5,000 cfs added to navigation releases, total release not to exceed 35,000 cfs (Gavins Point Dam powerplant capacity)
2. Pulse will be timed to coincide with the beginning of navigation season
3. Rise to peak of pulse will be approximately 5,000 cfs for one day
4. Peak duration will be 2 days
5. The fall to navigation target flows will occur over 5 days
May Pulse
1. Magnitude is estimated between 9,700 cfs to 16,000 cfs above navigation releases depending on the May 1 storage and runoff forecasts.
2. The pulse will be initiated between May 1 to 19, based on water temperature below Gavins Point Dam.
3. The rise to the peak of the pulse will occur at a rate of 6,000 cfs per day
4. The peak duration will be 2 days.
5. The fall to navigation flows will be 30% over 2 days followed by a proportional reduction over the next 8 days.
The public meetings will open with presentations on this year’s runoff, reservoir storage, and the regulation of the six dams and reservoirs. These will be followed by descriptions of the regulation for the remainder of 2008 and the year 2009 for flood control, hydropower, navigation, irrigation, recreation, water supply, water quality, fish and wildlife and endangered species for a wide variety of runoff and storage conditions.
The public meeting schedule is:
Oct 14, 7 p.m., Nebraska City, Neb., Lewis & Clark Center
Oct 15, 11 a.m., Kansas City, Mo., Embassy Suites Airport
Oct 15, 7 p.m., Jefferson City, Mo., Capitol Plaza Hotel, 415 West McCarty Street
Oct 16, Noon, Fort Peck, Mont., Fort Peck Interpretative Center
Oct 16, 7 p.m., Bismarck, N.D., Radisson Hotel
Oct 17, 11 a.m., Pierre, S.D., Best Western Ramkota, 920 West Sioux Ave
The draft 2008-09 Annual Operating Plan with a detailed description of the spring pulses is available on the “Reports and Publications” section of the Water Management website, http://www.nwd-mr.usace.army.mil/rcc, and is available in hard copy by writing to: Missouri River Basin Water Management Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1616 Capitol Ave, Suite 365, Omaha, NE 68102-4909. Comments on the draft plan will be taken during the series of public meetings and in writing and via e-mail through November 21. E-mailed comments should be sent to: Missouri.Water.Management@nwd02.usace.army.mil.