Officials advise caution with low releases

 Releases from Gavins Point Dam reduced to zero with spillway tests

This article was originally published in the Yankton Press & Dakotan on May 9, 2012
Click here to read original news story link.

Also, here's a couple links to Yankton P&D stories regarding the same story:

• Corps to conduct spillway test at Gavins Point Dam (April 28, 2012)
• Corps: more tests for spillway (May 5, 2012)

From P&D Staff Reports
The National Park Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are reminding the public to use caution today (Wednesday) as releases at Gavins Point Dam will be halted in order for a damage assessment to be conducted.

Water releases will be reduced beginning at 6 a.m. and continue incrementally until they reach 0 cfs. The releases will remain at 0 cfs for no more than eight hours and will be slowly increased back to normal flow levels. The river level is forecast to drop by eight feet at Yankton and will fall to similar levels downriver. Flow levels may change without notice.

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"

Long term flood continues to reveal damages

The Omaha World Herald today says..."50 days of flooding and counting". And, although the Corps will be lowering releases from Gavin's Point Dam from 160 kcfs to 150 kcfs at the end of July, baseline levels will remain high at least through mid-August. Latest Corps predictions show 150kcfs releases continuing at least until August 12. The Corps says that because of water draining from adjacent floodplains, there will be no noticeable drop even with this reduction in releases.

Relatively dry weather in the lower basin, with most rain events being sporadic and scattered has meant that levels have retreated from their highs but remain fairly level. However, rain in the Big Sioux River watershed pushed levels to a probable record in Sioux City today. The focus for most flood fighting has been shoring up soggy levees, attacking sand boils, pumping seepage from behind protected areas and basic pump maintenance. Sandbags continue to be filled in many areas, applied to new trouble spots.

Confusion with flood insurance has led to some new legislation changing some of FEMA's rules and the Corps and FEMA have begun collecting flood damage claims. The process will prove to be long and frustration for the many people damaged in the flood. Many counties affected have not received federal major disaster declaration from the President.

As flooding continues, inundated houses have been collapsing, new channels appear to be forming, mold is spreading and mosquitoes have been relentless. The oppressive heat has made all flood fighting more dangerous and exhausting. Some residents have just recently been able to view their flooded homes in rural areas shut down from access, and have been shocked at the damage. The Decatur bridge is experiencing undermining of its approach ramps and highways still under water have an undetermined amount of erosion and saturation damage. The Corps continues to check their dams, release tunnels and spillways for erosive damage. They continue to assure that dams are operating as designed.

Officials worry that the good news of drawdowns by the Corps might catch people off guard if there is rain later. Unlike many flood events, there is no real predicted "crest". Additional rain will continue to cause spikes in river levels that will need to be watched. As many of the stories below reveal, people and businesses continue to suffer, and are still unable to know just how much they've been effected by this prolonged flood.

Here's some links to news stories published on the web about how communities are coping with the flood.

Aerial Photography

• From Lee Valley Auctions - Missouri River Flooding 2011 
• Omaha World Herald -July 15, 2011 
• Earth Observatory - Map links to archive of satellite photos of Missouri River flooding 
• Photos by John Dame - a set of photos starting June 17, ending July 15 
• Iowa State Patrol - a series of flood photos

Opinion/Analysis

• Sioux City Journal - July 17. 2011 - "Water Storage Question must be answered"  A letter to the editor laying out the crucial question - how much room should be left in dams at end of winter. 
• Sioux City Journal - July 17, 2011 - "Let the Missouri River be a river" 
• Robert Kelley Schneiders ongoing blog on Missouri River flooding (Schneiders is author of "Unruly River" a history of change on the Missouri River) 
• MSNBC - July 12, 2011 - "Some say environmental groups share flooding blame" 

While the formation of a "Missouri River Working Group" at the federal representative level suggests a "new spirit of cooperation", the ghosts of Missouri River issues past continue to lurk. Here's a couple of opposing opinions on that:

• From the office of US Rep. for Missouri Blaine Luetkemeyer - Press Release July 15, 2011 - "Luetkemeyer River Amendments Protect Missouri Taxpayers and Communities" 
• Editorial by Dave Helling, - July 15, 2011 - "Missouri's politicians voted to kill river study similar to the one they now seek" & Helling's piece published in KC Star - July 12, 2011 - "Drive to better manage river on-again, off-again"  

Corps of Engineers begins claims process
The Corps has opened two different processes for levee districts or individuals filing either claims on damages to property or to request assistance in levee rehabilitation. Here's a couple links

• "Filing a claim for damages..." The Corps is not promising payments for damages, but has begun a process for people to begin filing claims. This is the Omaha District. 
• Resources for levee rehabilitation or alternatives to rehabilitation. Kansas City District.

Wyoming/Montana
Billings Gazette - July 21, 2011 - "Buffalo Bill Reservoir Fills" 
Billings Gazette - July 10, 2011 - "Hell & High Water - Fort Peck Marina owner battered by flooding" 

Dakotas
Bismarck Tribune - July 21, 2011 - "Bismarck asks residents to limit water use" Sediment both suspended in the water and piling up at the water plant intake has lowered the water plant capacity. 
Bismarck Tribune - July 20, 2011  - "Flood victim turns heartbreak into poetry" With great video as well.
Bismarck Tribune - July 19, 2011 - "Corps discusses this year's releases, next year's plans" 
& "Regulatory tunnels holding up at Garrison Dam" 
Bismarck Tribune - July 15, 2011 - "Oil spill hits the Missouri River south of Williston"
CNN - July 12, 2011 - "How long will Missouri mega-flood endure"


Nebraska/Iowa
KCAU - TV9 - July 19, 2011 - "WinnaVegas Casino to reopen thanks to amphibious duck boats"
& "Dam Debris Piling Up"
Omaha World-Herald - July 21, 2011 - "50 days of flooding and counting"
Omaha World- Herald - July 19, 2011 - "Fighting flood is a daily battle" 
Washington County Pilot-Tribune and Enterprise (Blair/Fort Calhoun Area) - "Nobody told us it was going to be this bad" & "Glimpse of Damage from Flooding" & "Still a lot of confusion about flood insurance" & "Disaster plea includes individual assistance" & "Farmers play waiting game with flood"
WOWT Channel 6, Omaha - July 14, 2011 - "What will be left when the flood recedes?"
Sioux City Journal - July 14, 2011 - "Conditions improve at Nebraska nuclear plants"
Radio Iowa - July 21, 2011 - "Missouri River trouble coalition proposal gaining momentum" An effort to bring states together to address Missouri River management
KMEG 14 - July 20, 2011 - "Dealing with mold after the water recedes"
KCAU - July 13, 2011 - "Social Media Helps people stay current on flood information" 
Omaha World-Herald - July 12, 2011 - "Flood forces creative commuting" 
Omaha World-Herald - July 12, 2011 - House OK's flood insurance bill"

Missouri/Kansas
Maryville Daily Forum - July 21, 2011 - "Holt County Organizing Flood Claims Effort" 
St. Joseph News-Press, July 20, 2011 - "Up close it's pretty devastating - Officials must wait to begin flood cleanup"
Kansas City Star, July 12, 2011 - "Farmland in Carroll County covered with floodwaters" 
Missouri National Guard Blog - July 12, 2011 - "Guardsmen rescue family from flooding home"
St. Louis Post-Dispatch - July 12, 2011 - "McCaskill, Blunt say Missouri River summit aims to get beyond old battles"
St. Louis Post-Dispatch - July 13, 2011 - "Federal Flood Insurance confuses many along Missouri River basin"

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.

Siouxland Students Learn Importance of Missouri River

(blogmaster's note: This story includes a really great video clip. Although this story was run in Sioux City, it covers the Yankton Missouri River Watershed Festival, an annual event drawing Yankton area students to the river to learn from experts. Missouri River Relief's Vicki Richmond was the keynote speaker and talked to students at her booth. Oddly enough, the story mentions the Yankton clean-up on May 7 but didn't mention the clean-up we were doing in Sioux City that same day. )

Originally broadcast May 6, 2011 on KMEG Channel 14 in Sioux City, IA
Click here for original link and to view video. 
Click here to view video on YouTube.
reported by Jacob Heller

(YANKTON, SD) It's one of Siouxland's sources of life, and Friday hundreds of hometown students were learning all about it.

It's something we may take for granted, but the Missouri River impacts nearly every aspect of life, from the water we drink to the food we eat.

Nearly 400 students swarmed Riverside Park in Yankton, South Dakota, Friday, for the 3rd annual "Missouri River Watershed School Festival."

It's a chance for Siouxland students to get a new perspective on a major part of the landscape that may not be quite as "mighty" as the name suggests.

Lament of a River Town

(blogmaster's note: This great piece from the Yankton Press-Dakotan imagines what Yankton would be like in a year like this if there was no dam just upstream. We can all imagine what the Mississippi River flood might be like if there were no dams as well.)

Originally published on May 13, 2011 in the Yankton Press-Dakotan
Click here for original link
By Kelly Hertz

At least the kids were having a good time.

That’s what the man thought as he watched his young daughter and her friends, who had walked with him down to the river and now decided to stomp merrily through the mire covering Yankton’s Riverside Park on this gray spring day. The river had receded enough to let the kids play on the old vacant grounds. He kept close watch to be sure the youngsters never, ever got close to the rim of the water, which was still lapping across part of the park. He knew if they got into the clutches of that dark, swirling river, there was no telling what might happen.

He was sitting on a small hill of filled, dirty sandbags. They had been placed around Levee Street near Douglas earlier in the spring when the Missouri River waters were rising fast. The bags held, mostly. Fortunately, the river didn’t jam up with ice downstream; if it had, the bags might not have done the job.

National Park Service Serves With Innovation

Originally published on April 22, 2011 in the Yankton Press-Dakotan
Click here for original link. 
by Randy Dockendorf

blogmaster's note: Often, the trashiest places along a river are at the river accesses, where there are often no trash cans for people to use. Many public land managers say that they don't have enough people resources to keep up with trash cans. Overflowing trash cans attract more trash, they say, and then the trash blows all over. Here, the National Park Service has come up with an awesome alternative. 
This article also discusses the upcoming Missouri River Watershed Festival in Yankton, followed by the Missouri River Clean-up. Awesome!

VERMILLION — Steve Mietz talked trash to his audience Thursday at the University of South Dakota.

The National Park Service (NPS) uses the “Big Belly Solar Trash Cans” at selected sites, said Mietz, the Yankton-based superintendent for the Missouri National Recreational River (MNRR).

The system compacts trash in cans along the MNRR, then uses a sensor to notify NPS officials when the cans are full and ready for collection.

“It’s wicked cool,” Mietz said. “There’s a cost to get from our Yankton headquarters to the far reaches of the park to empty trash. This system saves gas, time and personnel.”

Yankton’s ‘Great Flood’

130th Anniversary Of Flood Highlights Threat River Once Posed

Originally published in Yankton Press Dakotan on March 26, 2011.
Click here for original link.
by Nathan Johnson

As the waters of the Missouri River rose, dozens of people could be seen clinging to the steep roof of John Nelson’s brick house.

Hours earlier, the residents of Green Island had been singing a Psalm led by the Rev. Charles Seccombe, hoping that the rising water would recede. But it had not.

Despite the fact that Nelson’s house sat on high ground, the villagers found themselves being forced to the attic and then through a window onto the roof.

Fortunately, rescuers arrived by boat to take the frightened individuals to safety and avoid any fatalities.

The scene played out 130 years ago this weekend, during what became known as the Great Flood of 1881. While the extent of its devastation has been exaggerated in some accounts, there is no doubt it was a tremendous event that changed the course of local history.

S.D. hasn't seen a flood like 1881

Vermillion moved to higher ground after the deluge

Originally published on March 22, 2011 in the Sioux Falls Argus Leader
Click here for original link.
by Jill Callison

Blogmaster's note: This article published on the 130th anniversary of this massive ice gorge flood of Vermillion and Yankton. It doesn't note that the reason such a flood is unlikely these days (other than the fact people moved out of the floodplain) is that the Gavin's Point Dam was built not far upstream, completed in 1957. The resilience of these communities is inspiring.

In its March 24, 1881, edition, the Dakota Republican noted that the Missouri River had risen 6 feet during the week but had not flooded.

A few days later, the newspaper's office in Vermillion was gone, swept away by a flood. The Dakota Republican would not print again until July 1, 1881.

That came after Vermillion residents had voted to move the town of more than 600 residents to higher ground, Vermillion historian Tom Thaden says.

"The original site was right next to the Missouri," he says. "Now we're pretty much in the same area, just on the bluff rather than below it."

Agencies seek funding to complete rural water project

 by Mary Garrigan 
originally published in the Rapid City Journal - February 24, 2011
original link: http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/news/article_e25531d6-407f-11e0-9ab8-001cc4c002e0.html

Three tribes and 10 federal agencies met Thursday in Rapid City to consult on how to get the nearly-complete Mni Wiconi water project finished in the shortest time with the least amount of additional congressional funding.

The more than 20-year-old project has been authorized through 2013, but the distribution system that supplies Missouri River drinking water to thousands of people on four rural water systems and three Native American reservations will still need an extension of time and more money to see it through to completion, said Mike Watson, project engineer with the Oglala Sioux Rural Water Supply System.

Researchers hope to curb S.D. advance of Asian carp

Knowledge could help contain menacing fish
originally published in Sioux Falls Argus Leader
original link: http://bit.ly/fsvPOl
Monday, Feb. 14
by Cody Winchester

Abetted by last summer's record flooding, Asian carp are continuing their advance up the Big Sioux and other Missouri River tributaries, as researchers and wildlife officials gear up to deal with the invasion.

"They're here, so the big question is, how many are we going to get?" said Brian Graeb, an assistant professor in South Dakota State University's wildlife and fisheries department.