(Radio Iowa) – As the downstream navigation season on the Missouri River is wrapping up for the year, releases from Gavins Point Dam near Yankton are being reduced to winter levels. It’s a seasonal move, according to John Remus, chief of the Missouri River Basin Water Management Division of the U-S Army Corps of Engineers in Omaha.

“We don’t support navigation usually past the end of November,” Remus says, “so we run winter releases normally and then when we get into drought conservation measures, like we’re in now, we go to what we call minimum winter releases, which is just to conserve water in the system for future years, just in case the drought continues.” While releases are being cut way back, Remus says the Corps will continue to work with downstream users.

“The water intakes downstream of Gavin’s Point, particularly from Omaha to Kansas City, should be able to draw water for the municipal intakes, the power plants, and so on and so forth, with normal inflow,” Remus says. “We’ll watch that carefully and if certain situations arise, we may increase releases just to accommodate some of those water intakes.” Remus says there will be some higher-than-normal releases from upstream dams over the coming months because the reservoir system is a bit unbalanced right now.

“The flooding on the Yellowstone River there in late June and early July put quite a bit of water into Garrison Reservoir, which is higher relative to Fort Peck and Oahe right now,” Remus says, “so we’re going to be dropping Garrison through the winter and raising Oahe up about five feet or so to get those three reservoirs a little more balanced.” Depending on upstream conditions, he says the Corps normally starts increasing flows again in mid-March.