Gavins Point Dam releases will be reduced in late November as flow support to navigation ends. Releases are currently 32,000 cubic feet per second.
John Remus of the Amry Corps of Engineers says, “We will continue to make releases from Gavins Point Dam to provide flow support at an intermediate service level, 1,500 cubic feet per second less than full service, through the end of the navigation flow support season.” Winter releases from Gavins Point Dam for the 2023-2024 winter will be slightly higher than last winter, which were at the minimum rate. However, Remus adds, “Intake operators in the lower river should be taking measures to assure they can maintain access to the water.”
October runoff in the Missouri River basin above Sioux City, Iowa, was 1.5 million-acre-feet, 124 percent of normal. Based on the most recent seasonal drought outlook, drought conditions are expected to persist through the end of January in the upper Basin, with a potential for improvement in the lower Basin.