Releases of water from upstream dams on the Missouri River are being dropped again, as the U-S Army Corps of Engineers enters the final stage of ending the summer-long flooding. Kim Thomas, chief of the Corps’ Readiness Branch in Omaha, says holding water releases steady the past several weeks allowed pressure on levees to stabilize, reducing underseepage and sand boils.

“At the start of the operational pause, we still had a tremendous amount of boils going on and every day that we’ve held at this pause, we’ve seen less and less of those boils,” Thomas says. “That’s another sign this pause was a good thing for the levees, to let them equalize.” Releases at Gavins Point Dam at Yankton, South Dakota, totaled 160-thousand cubic feet per second earlier this year — more than a million gallons per second. The Corps slowly dropped releases to 90-thousand C-F-S, then held at that level for three weeks. Last night (Sunday), the releases were cut back again. Jody Farhat, chief of the Corps of Engineers’ Missouri River Basin Management Office, says the tactic kept releases stable for a reason.

Farhat says, “The pause was primarily to allow the water pressure in the levees and the embankment just downstream of Gavins Point Dam, that whole Lake Yankton area, to allow the water pressure in those levees to stabilize.” It was feared some levees might collapse without the force of the water against them, but she says thankfully, that didn’t happen.

“The levees have not failed us as the water pressure went off them and Lake Yankton is still there,” Farhat says, “so I think we achieved the overall objective.” The Corps plans to drop releases by five-thousand cubic feet per second every other day until they reach 40-thousand C-F-S on October 6th, about one-quarter of what it was during the worst of the flooding.

(Radio Iowa)

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office has issued a cumulative report on arrests and incidents covering the past few weeks. Of note, 61-year old Theodore Axel Johnson, of Sidney, was arrested Sept. 13^th, on a charge of Simple Domestic Assault. Also arrested on that date, was 25-year old Isaac Calvin Hayes, of Hamburg, on a charge of disorderly conduct.

On Sept. 9^th, 33-year old Jason Neil Andrews, of Council Bluffs, was arrested for Public Intoxication, and 20-year old Aaron Michael Burris, of Sidney, was arrested for Burglary in the 3^rd degree. That same week, 60-year old Lawrence Geral O’Brien, of Shenandoah, was arrested for 1^st offense OWI, and 23-year old Christopher Leroy Jordan, of Shenandoah, was arrested for a Probation Violation.

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office investigated a report of a simple assault on Sept. 14^th, a simple assault, attempted burglary and vandalism in or near Thurman, on Sept. 13^th, vandalism and/or destruction of property in or near Randolph on Sept. 12^th, an incident of criminal mischief on Sept. 8^th in Hamburg, and the theft of a motor vehicle from Tabor, on Sept. 3^rd.

The retiring CAM School Board and newly reorganized CAM Board of Education will meet this evening at the CAM High School Media Center, in Anita. At 6-p.m., the retiring board will review and discuss old business and review an abstract of votes before adjourning. The newly reorganized board meeting will follow immediately thereafter, with the swearing-in of new board members and election of officers.

Other administrative matters include discussion with regard to Tax Increment Financing, and Energy Audit, usage of the Anita Wellness Center, adjustments to the school lunch prices, and the fitness equipment program. Action items will include a request for allowable growth and supplemental aid for a negative special education balance, a contract revision, and the purchase of a truck.

The Elk Horn-Kimballton Board of Education will meet at 7-p.m., in the Family and Consumer Science Room at the High School in Elk Horn. On their agenda, is action pertaining to contracts and resignations, and discussion with regard to the high school parking lot. The old board will then adjourn and new board members will be sworn-in, followed by the election of officers.

New business during the session will include administrative matters, and action on school lunch prices, continued sharing of activities with other districts, approval of an Acceptable Use Policy, and other, board policies.