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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City and Omaha Districts, announce six public meetings to be held in conjunction with the release of the Draft Missouri River Recovery Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement. The Notice of Availability will be published in the Federal Register on Dec. 23, 2016; the public comment period will run Dec. 23, 2016-Feb. 24, 2017. The public meetings will be held Feb. 7-9, 2017, and Feb. 14-16, 2017. [Read More]
Published: Dec-16-16
The US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) reduced releases from Gavins Point Dam in late November to the winter release rate, marking the end of flow support for the 2016 navigation season. “Releases from Gavins Point Dam were reduced over a 3-day period from 25,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) to 18,000 cfs,” said Jody Farhat, Chief of the Missouri River Water Management Division. “Releases are expected to range between 17,000 cfs and 18,000 cfs this winter, but will be adjusted as needed to evacuate the remainder of water stored in the annual flood control zone prior to the start of the next year’s runoff season.” Based on the September 1 system storage, Gavins Point Dam winter releases will be at least 17,000 cfs. During the winter, the Corps will closely monitor conditions throughout the basin and will adjust releases to lessen the impact of river ice formation on water intakes along the lower river to the extent possible.
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Published: Dec-06-16
The Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee (MRRIC) met here Nov. 15-17 to receive an overview of the Missouri River Recovery Program’s (MRRP) draft Missouri River Recovery Management Plan-Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), scheduled for public release in December, from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). Tribes were represented by Dr. Emerson Bullchief, Crow Nation; Dr. Andrea Hunter, Osage Nation; Dr. Kelly Morgan, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe; Alan Kelley, Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska; Elizabeth Wakeman, Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe; Reno Red Cloud, Oglala Sioux Tribe; and Shannon Wright, Ponca Tribe of Nebraska. [Read More]
Published: Dec-05-16
The Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee (MRRIC) met here Nov. 15-17 to receive an overview of the Missouri River Recovery Program’s (MRRP) draft Missouri River Recovery Management Plan-Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), scheduled for public release in December, from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). The EIS describes management actions intended to ensure that operations of the Missouri River system will not jeopardize three species listed under the Endangered Species Act. The committee heard reports from its two expert advisory panels on the technical soundness of sections of the EIS. There was strong emphasis on models that identify the economic impacts of various alternative management strategies being considered by the Corps. They use these models to help determine a preferred alternative. [Read More]
Published: Dec-05-16
Washington, D.C. – Today, the Army informed the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Energy Transfer Partners, and Dakota Access, LLC, that it has completed the review that it launched on September 9, 2016. The Army has determined that additional discussion and analysis are warranted in light of the history of the Great Sioux Nation’s dispossessions of lands, the importance of Lake Oahe to the Tribe, our government-to-government relationship, and the statute governing easements through government property.
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Published: Nov-14-16
Runoff in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa, was 1.9 million acre feet (MAF) during October, 155 percent of average, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). The 2016 calendar year runoff forecast is 24.1 MAF, 95 percent of average. Average annual runoff is 25.3 MAF. The total volume of water stored in the Mainstem Reservoir System on November 1 was 57.2 MAF, occupying 1.1 MAF of the 16.3 MAF combined flood control storage zones. “System storage declined less than anticipated during October, only 0.2 MAF, as a result of heavy rainfall over north central Montana and northwestern Wyoming. During the remainder of fall and winter, we will complete the evacuation of the flood zones of the reservoirs to ensure we start next year’s runoff season with the full flood control capacity of the system available,” said Jody Farhat, chief of the Corps’ Missouri River Basin Water Management Division.
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Published: Nov-04-16
The Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee (MRRIC) will hold its 35th meeting here Nov. 15-17, 2016. The meetings are open to the public; members of the public will have an opportunity during each daily session to address the committee and the lead federal agencies – the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) – regarding the Missouri River Recovery Program (MRRP). [Read More]
Published: Oct-28-16
September runoff in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa, was 1.0 million acre feet, 91 percent of average, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This marks the fourth consecutive month with below average runoff in the upper basin. The 2016 calendar year runoff forecast is 22.7 MAF, which is 90 percent of the historic average. The total volume of water stored in the Mainstem Reservoir System on October 1 was 57.4 MAF, occupying 1.3 MAF of the 16.3 MAF combined flood control storage zones. System storage declined 0.7 MAF during September. Water that was captured in the reservoirs during the spring and summer is being released during the drier months to serve navigation, irrigation and other authorized purposes.
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Published: Oct-11-16
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation and Bonneville Power Administration have announced their intent to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) on the Columbia River System operations and configurations for 14 federal projects in the interior Columbia Basin. [Read More]
Published: Sep-30-16
OMAHA, Neb. – August runoff in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa, was 1.0 million acre [Read More]
Published: Sep-08-16
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