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Heavy rainfall across Montana and the Dakotas has The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers considering aggressive water releases from upstream reservoirs on the Missouri River.
"The upper Missouri River is seeing dramatic increases in flows, particularly after as much as eight inches of rain fell over the weekend in portions of eastern Montana and western North Dakota," said Jody Farhat, chief of the corps' Missouri River Basin Water Management Division in Omaha.
Farhat said Garrison Dam could be within a foot of the top of its spillway gates next week.
"Unusually heavy precipitation, combined with late season heavy snowpack in parts of the Missouri basin, means we will see near-record runoff," he said.
The corps is increasing releases from Garrison Dam and reducing releases Ft. Peck to decrease flows into Garrison.
The Missouri River stage at Nebraska City on Tuesday is 21.25 feet, setting a high mark for 2011. The National Weather Service expects it to crest at 22.8 feet on Saturday, May 28. The projected peak depth would be the eighth highest on record.
Heavy rainfall across Montana and the Dakotas has The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers considering aggressive water releases from upstream reservoirs on the Missouri River.
"The upper Missouri River is seeing dramatic increases in flows, particularly after as much as eight inches of rain fell over the weekend in portions of eastern Montana and western North Dakota," said Jody Farhat, chief of the corps' Missouri River Basin Water Management Division in Omaha.
Farhat said Garrison Dam could be within a foot of the top of its spillway gates next week.
"Unusually heavy precipitation, combined with late season heavy snowpack in parts of the Missouri basin, means we will see near-record runoff," he said.
The corps is increasing releases from Garrison Dam and reducing releases Ft. Peck to decrease flows into Garrison.
The Missouri River stage at Nebraska City on Tuesday is 21.25 feet, setting a high mark for 2011. The National Weather Service expects it to crest at 22.8 feet on Saturday, May 28. The projected peak depth would be the eighth highest on record.
