Triple-A predicted we’d see gasoline selling in Iowa at four dollars a gallon or higher by Memorial Day, but a new government report is forecasting much cheaper prices. The U-S Energy Information Administration now estimates the national average price this summer will be three-79, even lower in the Hawkeye State. Rose White, at Triple-A-Iowa, says pump prices have been steadily falling for weeks. “As this industry is, it’s very unpredictable, but certainly this latest news is welcome news for all motorists,” White says. “Oil prices are down about 9% in the last six days. In fact, for the last 23 days, retail pump prices have declined.” 

Iowa has one of the lowest gas prices in the country, averaging three-57 a gallon, about 18 cents below the national average. She says prices will still likely rise as the summer approaches, but not as high as they’d first thought. “Based on what we’re seeing now, which is an improvement in supply levels and economic concerns that are driving down crude oil prices, the combination of factors certainly is reversing earlier projections,” White says. “Right now, we’re expecting prices to stay right at that $3.70 level for many of the summer months.”

Between January and April, gas prices nationwide rose a whopping 20-percent. Some politicians blame President Obama for the increase, but White says that’s not a legitimate claim. “It’s hard to put the blame on any one organization, industry or country, certainly not on one person,” White says. “It’s a global issue, based on supply and demand.” Oil prices have dropped about eight-dollars a barrel since early April. Iowa’s current average gas price of three-57 a gallon is down from three-92 a year ago.

(Matt Kelley/Radio Iowa)

The Missouri River fell nearly eight-feet on Wednesday as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shut off the flow from Gavins Point Dam near Yankton to inspect the concrete slabs below the spillway gates.

Gavins Point Dam

Three teams used sophisticated radar to survey for damage. Dave Becker, the Corps’ operations manager for the dam, says they’ve seen warning signs develop since last year’s historic flooding across Iowa and Nebraska. “We have a foot and a half of concrete on top and that is on top of a four-foot gravel layer,” Becker says. “Ever since January, we’ve had concerns about that gravel layer. We had a couple of gates open, gates 2 and 3 at this south end, and we saw water coming out of the drain at the north end and we said, ‘That’s not right.'” Becker says the record flows that brought the prolonged, record flooding last summer caused damage under the concrete.

He says, “What we found was that some of the drain grates had been washed off during the flood and some of that water was going straight down the drain holes and into the gravel layer and eroding some of that gravel.” He says the concrete is all fine but there’s at least one large “void” in the gravel. Becker says crews used the low water level on Wednesday to get a closer peek at the problem areas. “The ground-penetrating radar takes a look at the concrete and the gravel area underneath to see what condition it’s in and to see if there are any voids,” he says. “They also drilled holes in the concrete so they can visually just take a look down there and see what they got, they can stick a piece of rebar down there, feel around, see what they got.” Becker says there are no structural issues with the spillway and they are not worried about any leaking. He says they hope to get the spillway repaired before next spring

(Radio Iowa)