Despite some recent rains, drought conditions are persisting.
According to the US Army Corps of Engineers, winter releases from Gavins Point Dam will be 12,000 cubic feet per second as part of the overall water conservation measures.
John Remus, chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Missouri River Basin Water Management Division, says last month the Corps reduced Gavins Point releases to 4,000 cfs as tributary flows downstream of the system increased. As the tributary runoff subsides, the Gavins Point releases will be adjusted to meet navigation flow targets.
Despite localized heavy rainfall events throughout the basin during August, drought conditions expanded across the basin due to the exceptionally dry soils. August runoff in the upper Basin was 54% of average.
According to the National Drought Mitigation Center, drought degradation is occurring across much of the upper Basin. Approximately 83% of the Missouri River basin is experiencing some form of abnormally dry conditions or drought. The seasonal drought outlook, which extends through the end of November, shows drought conditions persisting across most of the upper Basin.
