Missouri River
Ongoing lower water issues
Below normal runoff continues in the Upper Missouri Basin
OMAHA, NE-- July runoff in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa was 2.0 million acre-feet( MAF), 62 percent of average. Runoff was below-average in the Fort Peck and Garrison reaches with average to above-average runoff in the lower four reaches. The annual runoff forecast above Sioux City, Iowa is 19.2 MAF, 75 percent of average.
“ Above-normal precipitation occurred in much of the basin, though areas of western Montana and Wyoming continue to be very dry,” said John Remus, chief of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Missouri River Basin Water Management Division.“ Dry soil moisture, below-normal rainfall in the mountain regions, and below-normal mountain snowpack runoff have led to well below-average reservoir inflows into Fort Peck and Garrison this summer.”
The U. S. Drought Monitor, updated on July 29, indicated 53 percent of the basin was not experiencing drought conditions, an improvement of 15 percent since July 1. Only a small area of extreme drought was present in western Montana. Drought conditions are expected to persist or expand throughout the basin through the end of October.
System storage on Aug. 1 was 51.7 MAF, down 0.4 MAF since July 1 and 4.4 MAF below the base of the Annual Flood Control and Multiple Use zone. The monthly reservoir studies indicate System storage will continue to decline in the Carryover Multiple Use Zone during 2025.
“ The winter release from Gavins Point, which is based on the Sept. 1 System storage check, will likely be at the minimum rate of 12,000 cfs,” added Remus.
Basin conditions continue to be monitored, and System regulation will be adjusted based on the most up-to-date information.
Camping at Wolf Creek, Lake Sakakawea
Page 22, Dakota Country, September 2025 www. dakotacountrymagazine. com