Corps emails released; drought eases flooding

For the thousands of people affected by this flood who have been wondering how the Corps of Engineers was dealing with water releases as snow piled up this spring, followed by massive rains in the upper basin, the Sioux Falls Argus-Leader opened a window this week. Through a Freedom of Information request, the AL obtained a batch of Corps emails documenting the evolution of this flood. Check out the stories below giving context to this trove of information.

For communities, highway departments and levee districts trying to plan for a fall of repairs, this Friday will provide a guide to future river levels. The Corps is planning on releasing their dam release schedules through September on this Friday, July 29. As always, the forecasts will be subject to change depending on rainfall in the basin. The Corps is planning on reducing Gavin's Point Dam releases from 160,000 cfs to 150,000 from July 31 to August 2. 

Although pulses of rain in the Big Sioux River basin caused new flood crests from Sioux City to Kansas City, the whole lower basin has been spared from the worst case scenario by little to no rain in many parts of the basin. In some counties, farmers in the uplands are suffering the beginning of drought while bottomland farmers are monitoring their levees and constantly pumping out seepwater. At the same time, the continuous massive flows continue to test levees and flood prevention measures throughout the basin.


Argus-Leader series on Corps of Engineers emails
The Sioux Falls Argus-Leader obtained a block of emails from late winter/spring 2011 that give a window into the reservoir releases as weather deteriorated this spring. Includes an analysis story with links to raw emails as well as a timeline created from information in the emails.

• Sioux Falls Argus-Leader - July 24, 2011 - "Corps Alerted to Coming Flood" - Analysis and raw email files
• Sioux Falls Argus-Leader - July 24, 2011 - "Excerpts of Corps Email Traffic" - a timeline of flood evolution based on Corps emails.

Corps of Engineers Aerial Recon Photos
The Corps of Engineers Kansas City District has been releasing aerial recon photos in Google Earth format. If you have Google Earth installed on your computer, you can click the links below to download .kmz files that will open in Google Earth.

• July 21, North of Kansas City
• July 21, East of Kansas City
• Direct link to Kansas City District Flood page
• Kansas City District Flickr Photo files (see photo sets on right to view latest aerial recon photos)

Aerial photos posted by Google
Click here to view aerial photos posted by Google of areas near Council Bluffs, IA. 

Editorial/Analysis
Leavenworth Times, July 26, 2011 - "The Missouri River Canal" by Matt Nowak - an idea to send Missouri River water to drier parts of the country. Nothing like a flood to make people forget the drought we just came out of.
St. Louis Post Dispatch, July 22, 2011 - "The Missouri River Compromise" by Robert Kelley Schneiders . You can also check out Schneiders' flood blog by clicking here.

Dakotas
Keloland TV, July 24, 2011 - "No Flood Assistance from FEMA" for individual homeowners.
Yankton Press-Dakotan, July 26, 2011 - "Corps Ready to Reveal Long-term Water Plans" - The Corps will announce release schedule through Sept. on Friday, July 28.
Bismarck Tribune, July 26, 2011 - "Gov. Dalrymple says Corps must give answers" 
Pierre Capital Journal, July 27, 2011 - "State sets up flood camage call center" - in an attempt to appeal FEMA's decision to withhold assistance for individual homeowners, the state is attempting to collect more information on flood damage to present to FEMA. 

Nebraska/Iowa
KTIV Channel 4 - July 27, 2011 - "Missouri River bed drops 6-8 feet" 
Omaha World-Herald, July 25, 2011 - "River dropping after second crest"
Omaha World-Herald, July 27, 2011 - "Plans laid for I-29 reopening" - Waters still have a lot of receding to do, and damage to many areas is unknown, but plans are being made for action after waters drop.
Omaha World-Herald, July 22, 2011 - "Below Flood stage by September?"
WOWT-channel 6, July 24, 2011 - "Aerial Tour of flooding"
WOWT-channel 6, July 25, 2011 - "River Pests out in force" 
Businessweek, July 27, 2011 - "Nebraska nuclear plant's flood recovery being planned" 

Kansas/Missouri 
FOX Channel 4 - July 26, 2011 - "Flooding still threatens Holt County levees"
St. Joseph News-Press, July 27, 2011 - "Casino may not reopen until October"
St. Joseph News-Press, July 24, 2011 - "Trials and tribulations of a long summer" 
St. Joseph News-Press, July 25, 2011 - "Flood insurance policies lead to frustration" 
Columbia Missourian, July 23, 2011 - "Missouri River flooding hurts barge industry"
KSU Collegian, July 24, 2011 - "Kansas River race fills void after Missouri River flooding" 
Columbia Tribune, July 24, 2011 - "Nixon says state ready to help Wooldridge" 
Columbia Tribune, July 24, 2011 - "Corps faces a battle over land near Wilton"

Iowa and Nebraska border becomes an inland sea - flood spreads downstream

It's been said over and over...this flood is unlike any other. Because of the dam system, the Corps of Engineers was able to take the top off a monstrous flood and spread it out over time. So now we have a severe to moderate flood for at least two months straight.

In communities closer to the dam, it's guaranteed to be high all summer. The further downstream you go, the continuous flooding will be less severe, but the chance exists with a lot of rain for a really massive flood event on top of it all. In addition to the tens of thousands of acres of flooded farmland and rural towns behind failed levees, the more protected urban areas are in for a constant test and struggle off their defenses and infrastructure. This is going to be one tiring summer.

A major storm Sunday night focused over Northwest Missouri caused a major spike in areas that had been holding steady because of a lack of rain...from the border south. The rains also caused spikes from Sioux City on down. A heavy equipment operator at the Fort Calhoun nuclear plant near Blair, NE, punctured the AquaDam surrounding the plant, causing floodwaters to move up to the building itself and splashing the plant all over national news. According to plant officials, the building itself is watertight for several more feet. Details in stories below.

It's getting tougher to cross the Missouri River as new bridges are closing each day.

Hamburg, IA, surrounded by temporary levee

Currently, very little rain is forecast in the basin for the next several days, giving a break for communities preparing for bigger water. Levees are breaking like crazy in northern Missouri/Kansas and heading downstream.

Here's an update on some good news coverage throughout the flood zone:

Some News and Information Aggregate Sites
Big Muddy News only publishes updates a couple times a week. We're a good place to check in here and there for a pulse of what's going on. But there are a lot of constantly updated sites you can check out for the absolute latest information. In addition, browse previous postings for other great links. Here's a few:
Missouri River Flood Event and Activities - interactive map of news, flood relief info and volunteer info:http://mightymoriver.crowdmap.com/
On Facebook:

• Missouri River Flooding 2011
• 2011 Missouri River Flood
• Missouri Flood Info - a government collaboration
• Missouri DNR Missouri River Flooding
• Missouri Levee and Drainage District Association Twitter feed
• Operation Mighty Mo - Missouri River Joint Information Center

Army Corps of Engineers Omaha District Flood Page - projections, inundation maps, tips on sandbagging, levee knowledge, more
Army Corps of Engineers Kansas City District Flood Page
National Weather Service Missouri River Basin Overview

Aerial Photos and video

• Earth Observatory satellite photos. Notice the urban bottlenecks.
• Stunning You-Tube Video by an airplane passenger landing at Eppley Airfield in Omaha. The plane is approaching from the north on the Iowa side. Note the very skinny channelized river as the plane passes over. Click here
• Aerial photos from Omaha area by Brad Williams. Or you can go to his website: www.bradwilliamsphotography.com 
• Aerial photos by Lee Valley Auction and Realty 
• Aerial photos posted by South Dakota Disaster Response

Montana
CNN blog, June 24, 2011 - "Waiting for Snowpack to Melt, How Fast and Furious will the Snowpack Gush into the Missouri River?"  According to the Corps of Engineers, the snow above Fort Peck peaked at 141% of normal and is now down to 25% of normal.  The snow in the reach between Fort Peck and Garrison (primarily the Yellowstone basin) peaked at 136% and is now down to 27%.

Dakotas
KSFY-TV - Pierre - "Local official tried to warn Corps of potential flooding in February" - a story about a local man who had been watching snowpack accumulate in National Weather Service data and tried to spread awareness of the possibility of major flooding. This was before the May rains that changed the game. A well done, non-hysterical local news story.
US Army Corps of Engineers - June 28, 2011 - Corps to inspect spillway gates at Big Bend July 1 - The Corps will be shutting down the spillway to check for erosion and stability of structure. They anticipate this will take one day. 
Bismarck Tribune - June 28, 2011 - "Missouri River Scour threatens property, digs deep"  Scouring has created spots along Missouri River 100 feet deep.

Iowa/Nebraska
Omaha World Herald, June 27, 2011 - "Flood test not over for nuke plant"
Omaha World Herald, June 27, 2011 - "NRC chief stays dry at Cooper plant"
Omaha World Herald, June 28, 2011 - "NRC: Nuke disaster risk low" after visiting Fort Calhoun plant
Omaha World Herald, June 29, 2011 - "Bridge stroll a lesson on the river" Teachers use the flood as a teaching tool.
KETC-Channel 7 - Omaha, June 28, 2011 - "Bluffs residents fight flood from below - Water reported in hundreds of basements in city"
Sioux City Journal, June 28, 2011 - "All's quiet in Decatur with bridge closed"
Reuters, June 27, 2011 - "Regulator signs off on threatened Cooper nuclear plant"
Associated Press, June 27, 2011 (video) - "Flood Challenges nuclear plant"

Missouri/Kansas
St. Joseph News-Press, June 27, 2011 - "Flooding Closes Casino"
St. Joseph News-Press, June 28, 2011 - "Officials fight flooding river" Including photos of casino employees cars flooded in parking lot.
St. Joseph News-Press, June 28, 2011 - "As flood closes highway bridge, Atchison residents worry" Atchison, KS, cut off from Missouri.
Kansas City Star, June 27, 2011 - "Information on Flood flows many ways" - Social media helps spread important information along with misinformation.
Kansas City Star, June 28, 2011 - "Businesses get ready for Missouri River flooding"
Columbia Missourian, June 29, 2011 - "Missouri River Flooding Closes one road to Cooper's Landing" Actually both roads are covered right now. Waters should begin dropping this weekend. 
Lake News Online, June 28, 2011 - "Flooding on Missouri Slows down Bagnell Dam operations"

160,000 cfs to continue until mid-August

Once again, substantial rain in the upper basin, as well as the lower river, forced the Corps to bump up their Gavin Point dam releases to 160,000 cubic feet per second (cfs). They now say this new peak flow will continue "well into August". Revisions of the projected flood inundation maps will be released soon. Releases are being adjusted constantly throughout the reservoir system as the Corps tries to make room for new pulses of runoff while providing a steady flow out of Gavin's Point Dam.

Many more levees have broken and overtopped, floodwaters are backing up into new areas and up the tributaries. Several more towns have been evacuated. With rain on top of that, the hydrological projections have been gyrating and changing with each new projection. That uncertainty on top of the certainty that this will go on all summer is a tough combination for everyone that lives or works along the river.

It appeared earlier this week that levee breaches dropped the "crest" enough at Brownville to keep the beseiged Cooper Nuclear Plant from reaching their "mandatory shutdown" river stage of 45.5 feet. Yet after a brief trough, the projection goes up again. Towns in the St. Joseph area experienced the same reprieve.

The Iowa & Nebraska border has become an inland sea pinched off by an hourglass bottleneck at Omaha/Council Bluffs. An inland sea moving downstream but not going away anytime soon.

Dramatic images of Nebraska's two nuclear power plants surrounded by water have helped fuel some wild rumors. There is a section below of stories related to these plants. 

One by one, communities downriver are adding flood protection, or moving out. The uncertainty of what will happen is forcing decisions to take action now. All river traffic has been closed by the Coast Guard from Leavenworth to Gavin's Point Dam.

The tenacity and hard work of family, neighbors and volunteers has been a major part of the story in this midwest region. There is a lot of frustration, of course, and the blame game is ongoing, but mostly people realize the reality of the situation and are acting on their own to deal with it. It's pretty inspiring, and what some of these communities have accomplished in short times is amazing.

A lot is being published on the web on the flood, despite the relative silence in much of the national media. There are several great news feeds, both from official sources and the general public. I've posted many of these in previous posts. Here's a collection of stories and links from the past several days:

Interactive Flood Maps
link to news stories, volunteer info and more
Missouri River Flood & Event Activities - a volunteer-based information "Crowdmap" network on the flood
Interactive Flood Map - Omaha World-Herald updates each day: shows county by county updates of Iowa/Nebraska flooding
Advanced Hydrological Predictions - Missouri River Basin - click the colored dot to link to hydrograph. 

• Updated projections by Corps for each gage along river taking into account new 160 kcfs reality.
• Updated inundation maps from Corps Omaha District
• Updated inundation maps from Corps Kansas City District

Montana
Great Falls Tribune, June 24, 2011 - "Flooding Likely to Return to Montana"
Story from June 6, 2011 - for perspective on the snowmelt we are now experiencing - Bismarck Tribune - "Abominable Snowpack Lurking in Montana Mountains"

Dakotas
Pierre Capital Journal, June 24, 2011 - "High Tributary Flows Due to Heavy Rain Near Pierre"
Associated Press, June 24, 2011 - "SD Gov. Dennis Daugaard takes lead role in Missouri River flood fight"
Yankton Press-Dakotan, June 24, 2011 - "Flows Of 160,000 cfs Threaten More Yankton-Area Homes"
Yankton Press-Dakotan, June 25, 2011 - "Residents rush to fix levees"
Bismarck Tribune, June 25, 2011 - "Groups begin planning for flood aftermath of tree die-offs"
Bismarck Tribune, June 24, 2011 - "Voluntary Evacuations to continue indefinitely"
Pierre Capital Journal, June 25, 2011 - "Oahe Reservoir to peak 2/10 of a foot from top of spillway gates"

Iowa/Nebraska
The Omaha World Herald has run a really good series of background articles following up recent days rain -

• June 26, 2011 - "May rains were real kicker in big water year" - a Q&A with Corps officials to gain perspective on the amount of water in the system.
• June 26, 2011 - "Where the water comes from, how it’s used" - a breakout of the percentages of how and for what uses the reservoir system stores or releases water.
• June 26, 2011 - "Flooding: The worst is yet to come"
• June 26, 2011 - "Rain, breaches multiply worries"
• Interactive Flood Map - shows county by county updates of Iowa/Nebraska flooding
• June 25, 2011 - "Filling sandbags while they can"
• June 25, 2011 - "Heavy rains fill Omaha Streets"

Reuters, June 24, 2011 - "Above the Missouri River, only treetops and rooftops" 
Council Bluffs Daily Nonpariel, June 25, 2011 - "FLOOD: Farmers, officials join forces to fortify levees, keep water at bay"  - volunteers and officials rebuild over 30 miles of levees in area north of Council Bluffs.
Lincon Journal-Star, June 24, 2011 - "It's season of flooding, finger-pointing for Corps of Engineers"
Wallace's Farmer, June 24, 2011 - "Flooded Farmers reassured by USDA Risk Management Agency" - Flood insurance will apply to this event for farmers. The other side of the coin is the many people who never anticipated a flood, weren't in a federal floodplain but are flooded.
Sioux City Journal, June 25, 2011 - "Truckers driving more to accommodate I-29 flooding detours''
Sioux City Journal, June 26, 2011 - "EXPLAINER: How Americans came to rely on the sandbag"
PHOTOS - Sioux City Journal, June 23, 2011 - Flooding in South Sioux City
Des Moines Register, June 26, 2011 - "Opinion - Missouri River Compromise"

Updates on Cooper and Fort Calhoun Nuclear Plants
Iowa Independant, June 24, 2011 - "NRC spokesman: No need for Nebraska spent nuclear fuel casks to be protected"
Associated Press, June 24, 2011 - "Nebraska nuclear plant gets relief from levee breach"

Wall St. Journal, June 24, 2011 - "Nuclear Regulator to visit Nebraska Plants Amid Flooding"
Bulletin of Atomic Scientists - "Rising Water, Falling Journalism"
US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Public Relations - "Rumors and the Rising River"
Ashville Citizen-Times, June, 24, 2011 - "Floods spur wild rumors of nuclear plant perils in Nebraska"

Kansas/Missouri
St. Joseph Channel 3 - June 24, 2011 - "Atchison County Residents Worn Out by Floodwater" with video
St. Joseph News-Press - June 25, 2011 - "Nasty Stuff - Public Advised to Stay Away from Floodwaters"
St. Jopeph News-Press - June 25, 2011 - "Trying to make a living - Businesses affected by flood find day-to-day operations difficult" - A 27 mile commute becomes a 150 mile commute with road closures.
Kansas City Star, June 24, 2011 - "Levee break upstream delays flooding near Kansas City" & "Corps letter causes dust-up"
Kansas City Star, June 25, 2011 - "Levee breaches continue"
Columbia Missourian, June 24, 2011 - "Flood barriers placed along Katy Trail in Rocheport" It's a precaution. This river town is still open for business and Katy Trail is open. 
Kansas City Star, June 26, 2011 - "Missouri River is taking toll on recreation" 

Some dams increase to 160,000cfs; more levees fail in Iowa and Missouri

Rain (and predicted rain) in the upper plains states have caused the Corps of Engineers to ramp up releases of water from Oahe and Big Bend reservoirs to 160,000 cfs. In their nightly briefing, the Corps said, "If weather continues to deteriorate the Corps will lose its ability to manage intra-system adjustments and may have to increase releases from Fort Randall and Gavins Point".The releases combined with rain have increased flooding in the Pierre, SD area. Rainfall also has caused small spikes in the river in the Sioux City area and below.

The Corps releases daily average inflow and outflow at each dam, and on Monday, June 20, 4 out of the 6 dams in the system were receiving much more water than they were releasing.

Over the weekend, several levees breached or began overtopping near the Iowa/Missouri border, flooding areas near Big Lake, Craig and Rockport, MO, and Brownville, NE. The Coast Guard closed an additional 100 miles of the river to all navigation. The river is now closed from St. Joseph (rivermile 450) to Gavin's Point Dam (rivermile 811).

Sandbagging has been ongoing along the Nebraska/Iowa border, and sand supplies are getting low in Omaha and Sioux City. Infrastructure continues to be strained, with sewer and drainage problems increasing as many outflows to the river are closed. 30% of Nebraska's power production is offline due to flooding. Huge swaths of agricultural land are flooded in Nebraska, Iowa and northern Missouri. All bridges crossing the river south of Plattsmouth and north of St. Joseph are closed due to flooding on their entrance ramps. Many highway and road closures, including sections of I-29, are causing major travel delays across the region.

Dam releases spike over weekend

Following their plan of evacuating high runoff through the Missouri River reservoir system, the Corps of Engineers began accellerating releases from a string of mainstem dams this weekend. In order to give communities time to react to the impending flooding, the Corps had slowed the increase in releases last week. Late last week, those releases began to accelerate again.

Rain continues to fall in the upper basin, but the Corps has not publicly changed their reservoir operation schedule at this time. A spat of dry weather in the lower basin has given a moment of relief for lower river communities preparing for a summer of high water.

As the stakes have risen, various theories of blame have been tossed around, from blaming the Corps of Engineers for not releasing enough water this winter to blaming "upstream states" for fighting to hold too much water in the reservoirs for recreation to blaming the Endangered Species Act for somehow tying the Corps' hands. None of these scenarios is really true. The Corps followed their Master Manual, designed to leave plenty of room in the reservoirs to handle snowmelt and runoff. The runoff this year is unprecedented in timing and scale. The endangered species on the river had no impact on the Corps release decisions.

Flood Update - Stories throughout the basin

As the flood moves through the reservoirs in Montana and the Dakotas, unprecedented flooding is occurring in communities adjacent to the river below the dams. Rain continues to fall in Montana and snow melt has certainly begun in earnest, flowing into already swollen tributaries that feed the dams.

Several of the dams have reached capacity, and now Garrison Dam, above Bismark/Mandan North Dakota has begun opening it's spillway gates. This is part of the emergency plan the Corps has in place, but is the first time this has happened. Pierre, SD below Oahe Reservoir is being hit very hard, with emergency levees being built and preparing for over a month of very high releases.

In the lower river, below the Gavin's Point Dam, upstream communities are seeing rising waters in direct correlation with the increasing dam releases (now releasing at 85,000cfs) . Those releases will be increasing fast over the weekend and into next week, reaching 140,000 cfs by early next week (a bit earlier than previously projected). 

The Corps has released flood inundation maps for the Omaha District (the Dakotas south to Rulo, NE). You can view them and other helpful documents on the US. Army Corps of Engineers Omaha District Flood Response Page by clicking here. The Kansas City District has provided a range of river stages to be expected from Rulo, NE to Hermann, MO throughout June and July, as the dams are releasing 150,000. You can access those on the Kansas City District Flood Response Page by clicking here. They also have offered a document showing at what level each levee will be overtopped and how likely that is (click here for levee projections)

Just how bad this will get is uncertain everywhere...the rapidity of snowmelt and precipitation can change everything. But the further downstream you go the more uncertain it gets, with the addition of tributaries like the Platte, Kansas, Grand, Osage and Gasconade. If there is significant rain, even similar to the last several years, we are looking at levels we haven't seen since 1995.

Here's a few stories from throughout the basin:

Montana
Associated Press, May 30, 2011 - "More rain, snow, National Guard troops for Mont."
Towns in Montana and the Dakotas struggle with flooding, prepare for more.

North and South Dakota
Huffington Post, May 31, 2011 - "Missouri River Flooding 2011: South Dakota Residents Told Evacuation Could Last 2 Months (with video)"
Towns are sandbagging and evacuating communities predicted to flood for several months.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Release, May 31, 2011 - "Garrison Dam spillway gates to open for floodwaters for first time"

Cherokee Chronicle Times, May 31, 2011 - "South Dakota towns erect flood walls"

Nebraska
Lincoln Journal Star, May 31, 2011 - "Diminsions of river overflows getting deeper"
Reservoirs in in the Platte are being drawn down as soon as possible ahead of snowmelt and ahead of highest Missouri River flows. Eyes are on the Cooper Nuclear Plant near Brownville, NE, where the access road from Brownville is flooded and 6.5 more feet of water would force a plant shutdown.

Video: from Omaha World Herald Tribune of flooding in many NE and IA communities, June 2, 2011 - "Flooding Sights and Sounds"

Iowa
Sioux City Journal, June 1, 2011 - "Plan for South Sioux City flood barrier takes shape"
& "Flood of 2011 one for the history books"


Omaha World-Herald, June 2, 2011 - "Southwest Iowans pack up"

Missouri
St. Joseph News Press, June 1, 2011 - "Army Corps predicts river at 27 to 32 feet in St. Joseph"

Columbia Missourian, June 1, 2011 - "Record Precipitation, Reservoir Releases to Cause Missouri River Flooding"
A great overview of the flood from the perspective of Mid-Missouri.

KMOX - ABC News St. Louis, June 2, 2011 - "NWS: Dire Warning About “Significant Flooding” Threat Along Missouri River"

Latest Press Release: 110,000 cfs by end of June

The Corps of Engineers Omaha District has just released the latest projection that releases from Gavin's Point Dam will increase to 110,000 cfs by the end of June.

Here's the link to the press release on their facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/notes/us-army-corps-of-engineers-omaha-district/dam-releases-to-reach-historic-levels/226335560712480

Here's the link to Omaha District Press Releases:
http://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/html/pa/pahm/newsreleases2011.htm

Here's the press release. Predictions for all mainstem Corps dams are included:


Dam Releases to Reach Historic Levels
May 26, 2011
Omaha, Neb. – Releases from the Missouri River reservoirs will reach historic levels in the coming weeks, the result of above-normal snow in the mountains and extraordinary rain over the last several weeks.  Significant flooding in cities, towns and agricultural land is expected in North and South Dakota with many areas from Sioux City, Iowa, to the Mississippi rising above flood stage.

Missouri River basin flooding updates

commentary by Steve Schnarr

Unprecedented releases of water from upper river dams are due to massive snowpack melting combined with heavy rains. That water is combining with recent heavy rains in the lower river to cause flooding throughout the basin. Looking into the future, things don't look good. This year, snowpack accumulation above Garrison Dam in North Dakota was 141 percent of "normal" this year. Of that snowpack, 132 percent remains unmelted. With a long, cool spring, the danger of flooding remains for months to come.

Releases at Garrison Dam, the current hotspot along the mainstem, will be ramped up to 85,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) by Monday. This is 20,000 more than the previous record and is expected to remain at this level throughout the summer. This level will cause major flooding in Bismark/Mandan. According to a KX TV story linked below, the maximum release from the dam is 140,000 cfs. The emergency spillway can be opened releasing a total of an amazing 660,000 cfs (There's NO reason to believe, at this point, that either of these levels would be reached).

News Reports on flooding throughout the basin

As snow melts mixes with rain in the upper basin and spring storms parade across the Great Plains and into Missouri and Iowa, the Missouri River is beginning to approach flood stage throughout the basin. Because of the dams, this is a pretty rare and serious event. As always, it is additional spring/summer rain that will make the difference in major flooding.

The Corps of Engineers bases their flood storage capacity in the reservoirs on predicted snowpack in the mountains (along with estimated rainfall in late spring). Both of these numbers are much larger than predicted so we are currently facing a situation where the dam releases are increasing at the same time spring rains are happening. In Bismark, ND, for example, the Corps just announced they will be ramping releases of Garrison Dam to 85,000 cfs and city officials are expecting a record flood there (since the dams were built). Gavin's Point Dam near Yankton, SD has remained steady for over a week at 55,000 cfs, but releases began increasing yesterday and are expected to bump up to above 70,000.

Below Gavin's Point Dam, communities in Nebraska and Iowa on down to St. Joseph have been facing high water due to the dam releases for over a month. While other parts of the country were getting hammered by rain, the Missouri River was spared. That's changed, and new predictions for the river have most gages from Omaha down approaching or well into flood stage.

Here's a link where you can see the hydrological predictions for gages you select in the Missouri River basin. Click here. Check the gage you want to see on the left and the information you want on the right then click "Make My River Page" You can bookmark your selected page for reference as the flood season progresses.

There are links to other great river stage products and flooding maps on the Missouri River Relief "River Links" page: www.riverrelief.org/links/

Here's a string of stories related to flooding across the basin, for a taste of how different communities are being affected.Click the article title to read it.So much is happening right now, you can really get a feel for it by checking out the home page of each news source for updates in that local area.

Montana
Great Falls Tribune - May 22, 2011: "Snowmelt and rain close roads, flood buildings around region"
Great Falls Tribune - May 24, 2011: "Much of Montana under flood warning or watch status" 
Great Falls Tribune - Photo Gallery

North Dakota
Bismark Tribune - May 24, 2011: "Ready for 75,000 cfs? Bismark braces for bigger Missouri River" 
Bismark Tribune - May 24, 2011: "Water System Driving Corps' control of Missouri River"
Bismark Tribune - May 25, 2011: "Rising Missouri Challenges Us" 
Associated Press - May 25, 2011: "North Dakota National Guard returns to flood duty to help Bismarck and Minot areas"
KFYR TV - May 25, 2011: "Bismark Flooding to be worse than expected"
Bismark Tribune - May 25, 2011: "For some, it's time to seek higher ground"

South Dakota
Yankton Press-Dakotan - May 24, 2011: "Rising Water to force aggressive dam releases"

Nebraska
Omaha World Herald - May 25, 2011: "Flooding Coming...but how much?"

Missouri 
St. Joseph News-Press - May 24, 2011: "‘No flexibility left and no relief in sight' - Continuing rains putting pressure on river"

It appears that other Missouri communities haven't caught on to the impending flood yet. I wasn't able to find much else on the web yet.

Homeowners Urged to Protect Septic Systems

Originally broadcast on Channel 5 KFYR (Bismark, ND) on May 16, 2011
Click here for original link

The Missouri River is on the rise, and while not much can be done to control the rising water, homeowners are urged to protect their septic systems.

If drains in the house run slowly or are backing up, pumping the septic tank will provide, at best, three or four days of reprieve, but the problem will return. Keep in mind that pumping will make the tank lighter, increasing the possibility that it could float out of saturated ground. Wait until the water recedes before pumping the tank.

The best solution is to plug all drains in the basement and drastically reduce water use in the house. Here are some ways to do that:

High water creating a variety of problems

Originally published in Bismark Tribune on May 13, 2011
Click here for original link. 
by Brian Gehring and Leanne Eckroth

With the latest forecast for the Missouri River to rise another 2 feet and remain there for the summer, some are planning to do what they can to lessen the impact. Some have already felt it.

Tracy Potter, executive director of Fort Lincoln Foundation, operators of the Lewis and Clark riverboat, said the group is already down about $8,000 from lost charters even before the unofficial Memorial Day weekend opener.

Potter said the month of May is normally a busy time with school groups and other charters, but with the weather and the river conditions, most have canceled.

As for the rest of the season, "It's scary," Potter said. "As a non-profit organization, we already live on the edge of the break-even point."

The riverboat attracts about 15,000 passengers a season, Potter said.

Dept. of Emergency Services Meeting Closed to Public

 (blogmaster's note - this story published in the Bismark Tribune is referring to planning meetings regarded anticipated increases in dam releases due to a revised forecast of mountain runoff by the Corps of Engineers)

Originally published on May 12, 2011 in the Bismark Tribune
Click here for original link
By Brian Gehring

A meeting with seven national, state and local agencies Thursday to discuss high flows on the Missouri River and future projections for the river was structured in way that it was closed to the public.

A Bismarck Tribune reporter and photographer as well as a representative from Sen. Kent Conrad's office were denied access to the meeting that took place at the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services office at Fraine Barracks.

Greg Wilz, director of the division of homeland security for the department of emergency services, told the Tribune the meeting was for planning purposes only and not an "emergency meeting."

High Missouri Dam Releases Could Hurt Fisheries

Originally published in the Dickinson Press on May 6, 2011
Click here for original link
by Associated Press

Fishery managers in North Dakota and South Dakota are nervous about anticipated high water releases from upstream dams on the Missouri River this summer.

The Army Corps of Engineers has said this could be a year of record runoff into the river system that stretches from the mountains in Montana to Missouri, where it empties into the Mississippi River. The Fort Peck, Lake Sakakawea and Lake Oahe upper basin reservoirs are all but full, and dam releases this summer are expected to be higher than they have been in 14 years, The Bismarck Tribune reported.

Fisheries officials in the Dakotas are worried about the effect on rainbow smelt, a main food for game fish such as walleye, when summer releases hit the projected range of 49,000-54,000 cubic feet per second.

ND lawmakers approve plan for pipeline project

Originally published by Forbes on April 27, 2010
Click here for original link. 
By Trevor Born - Associated Press

BISMARCK, N.D. -- Lawmakers on Tuesday approved using a patchwork of loans to finance a $150 million water pipeline project that would supply western North Dakota's oil industry and a number of cities in the region.

House members approved the bill 81-12 on Tuesday, followed by passage in the Senate, 39-8. It now goes to Gov. Jack Dalrymple.

The Western Area Water Supply project will take water from the Missouri River near Williston and pipe it into rural western North Dakota.

North Dakota: Legislature Urges Army Corps of Engineers to Give the State Back Water Control

Originally published in PlainsDaily.com on March 22, 2011
Click here for original link
By Kate Bommarito

The Senate passed HCR 3019 today, a resolution urging the Army Corps of Engineers (COE) “to immediately cease wrongful denial of access and wrongful requirement of payment for the natural flows of the Missouri River,” and demands that the COE “forgo any attempt to charge water users in North Dakota a fee to use water from Lake Sakakawea or Lake Oahe.”

Both the Governor and the Attorney General had testified at the resolution’s committee hearing.  At the House hearing, Dalrymple called the US Army Corps of Engineers’ new policies both “unjustifiable” and “utterly inappropriate for the state of North Dakota.”

The Corps has had a long and contentious history when it comes to their management of the Missouri River water.  Most recently, the COE has been attempting to charge North Dakota water “storage fees,” for water held in Lake Sakakwea and Lake Oahe.

State Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem stated “It is not just nor I think legal to demand that we get permission to use water that naturally flows through our state, and it borders on insult to demand that we pay for it,” when he addressed the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

At the same time the Senate was voting on HCR 3019, the House was voting on a related resolution, SCR 4002, urging Congress “to provide a legal process to return to the state of North Dakota land controlled by the Army Corps of Engineers which is not necessary for authorized purposes.”

SCR 4002 specifies that the COE “has acquired certain lands around the Missouri River water system, including Lake Oahe and Lake Sakakawea,” and demands that the land be returned, giving the state of North Dakota full control over the land, including access to the river’s water.

The Corps’ plan to charge the state for its water has been met with public outcry in the state and has far reaching implications, especially considering the current water pipeline projects and the oil industry’s increased need for access to water.

Both resolutions passed their respective chambers unanimously

Western Area Water Supply Pipeline Proposal in North Dakota

Originally published in PlainsDaily.com
By Kate Bommarito on March 16, 2011 at 05:47 pm
Click here for original posting

The question of how best to increase the water supply to Western North Dakota was addressed again today, when the Senate Industry, Business and Labor Committee continued its hearing on HB 1206.
The bill proposes the creation of a western area water supply authority and gives that entity the ability to oversee the building of a new, public water pipeline as well as enter into water supply contracts with “member cities, water districts, and private users, such as oil and gas producers, for the sale of water for use within or outside the authority boundaries or the state.”

The Western Area Water Supply Project (WAWS) is an extensive pipeline project that would pump water from the Missouri River and transport it via new pipelines to western areas. If the bill passes, construction could begin as early as this summer and be completed by 2014.

The project is estimated to cost $200-300 million.  The project would be financed by a state guaranteed bond issuance.  The bonds would be paid back over thirteen years using revenues coming from WAWSA’s sale of water to the oil industry. Projected industry water sales estimate that the bonds would actually be repaid within the first 8 years.

Western ND looks at regional water pipeline

Originally published by Associated Press on March 3, 2011 in the Plains Daily
Original Link click here

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) -- North Dakota's booming oil industry requires huge amounts of water for drilling, a need the state could use to bring clean drinking water to rural towns, backers of a proposed water pipeline project say.

The Western Area Water Supply project, which the North Dakota Senate's Industry, Business and Labor Committee reviewed Thursday, would pump water from the Missouri River near Williston and sell it to oil companies and cities.

The legislation would set up a board to oversee the project and have the state back the bonds that would finance it. The pipeline network's estimated cost ranges from $150 million to $300 million.

The project's supporters call it an opportunity to build pipelines that will supply drinking water for cities and rural areas, while laying most of the expense onto an oil industry that is ravenous for water.

Skeptics say that if oil prices collapse, the state could be left holding a sizable bill. Water haulers said they have already invested in facilities to serve the industry, which a state-financed pipeline system would undercut.

"We have a great opportunity to build infrastructure to service western North Dakota for the next 100 years," said the bill's sponsor, Rep. Bob Skarphol, R-Tioga. "We have the opportunity to fund it with the help of the private sector's need for water."

North Dakota's oil industry uses a process called hydraulic fracturing to break down underground shale formations to extract oil. A single well can require 1 million to 1.5 million gallons of water during the process.

Companies now often have to haul water by truck, sometimes as far as 40 miles. A pipeline system would reduce hauling time, cut down truck traffic and provide better access to water. Supporters of the project expect oil companies will buy enough water in five to seven years to cover the system's cost.

"It'll benefit the people, and it'll benefit industry by allowing us to buy water," said Ron Ness, the president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council, which represents oil companies working in western North Dakota. "This opportunity only comes so often, when a big commercial user is ready to pay the bill."

The city of Williston and some neighboring water districts have been working on the proposal for more than two years.

Their plan envisions beginning pipeline construction on the Missouri River southwest of Williston and extending in four directions, reaching Grenora to the northwest, Ray to the northeast and Alexander and Watford City to the south.

City officials say Williston has the right to pump up to 30 million gallons of water from the river per day, but it uses only about 3 million gallons.

The city's water treatment plant was renovated in 2006, and can now handle 10 million gallons of water daily. If the Western Water Supply initiative is approved, its treatment capacity could be expanded to 14 million gallons, city officials said.

Opponents say the plan is too risky and could leave the state on the hook for a huge debt. The project's finances depend on oil companies being willing to buy most of the treated water.

"You never, ever can bank on the oil and gas industry," said Michael Nash, who runs a water trucking company in Williston. "We're a transient industry, that's all there is to it. If you bank on this industry, you will get burned. It's not a matter of if, but when."

Owners of private water businesses said the government would be unfairly competing with their industry and could undercut prices. Some said they'd invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in water depots for oil companies, which the pipeline could put out of business.

"If it were not for the entrepreneurs that spent their hard-earned money to respond to the needs of the industry at the time, we wouldn't have the oil industry doing like it is today," said Robert Harms, a lobbyist for independent water companies. "It's because the private sector invested its own money to develop the depots we're talking about."

If the bill is approved, pipeline construction would begin this summer.

The House approved the measure earlier, 91-3. The Senate committee took no action on it after a five-hour hearing Thursday. The panel intends to take testimony from Todd Sando, the state Water Commission's chief engineer, next week.

The bill is HB1206.

Another North Dakota Missouri River Water Battle

As North Dakota ramps up development of their oil and gas fields, the need for water for hydrofracking and refining is increasing. The Corps of Engineers recently proposed charging oil companies a "storage fee" for use of "surplus" Missouri River reservoir water. The immediate response from North Dakota politicians and citizens was negative. While the fee is described as being for the oil industry, there is a belief that it would later be extended to farmers and other large water users. Plus, the idea of paying the federal government for water in reservoirs that flooded the richest bottom lands in the state doesn't sit well with many North Dakota citizens.

The Public Comment period ended January 17. Here's the original press release from the Corps:
http://mapservice.swc.nd.gov/4dlink9/4dcgi/GetContentPDF/PB-1902/NR121410.pdf

And here's the Draft "Surplus Water" report that listed originally listed the fee:
http://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/html/pd-p/Sakakawea_SWR_Public_Draft.pdf

Here's a couple stories about the controversy. We'll post more as more details emerge and other states (which share the river) respond.

Bismark Tribune: "Corps plans to open tap to oil industry" Dec. 17, 2010
http://www.bismarcktribune.com/news/local/article_f8114b70-0a17-11e0-814e-001cc4c03286.html

Bismark KX - CBS affiliate: "Corps plan brings protests"
http://www.kxnet.com/getArticle.asp?ArticleId=700440

Williston Herald "Officials voice opposition to Corps plan"
http://www.willistonherald.com/articles/2011/01/21/news/doc4d39b4f6e0148149584517.txt

posted by Steve Schnarr, Missouri River Relief