Officials to keep conserving Missouri River water
July 9th, 2013 by Ric Hanson
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The recent rains along the upper Missouri River won’t change the plan to conserve water in the river’s reservoirs but they will help improve navigation. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Monday the river basin is still recovering from last year’s drought.
In June, the rain that fell north of Sioux City was slightly above normal. But officials predict the amount of runoff flowing into the river this year will still be only about 88 percent of normal. So the amount of water being released from the Gavins Point dam on the South Dakota-Nebraska border will remain around 21,000 cubic feet per second. But the Corps now expects to be able to provide enough water for a full navigation season on the river.