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FROM THE NORTH DAKOTA STATE WATER COMMISSION Corps holds Missouri River meetings By Patrick Fridgen On April 12, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stopped in Bismarck as part of its spring public meetings regarding the 2005 Missouri River System Annual Operating Plan. In addition to Bismarck, the Corps also made visits to Glasgow, Mont.; Pierre, SD; Omaha, Neb.; and St. Louis and Kansas City, Mo. At these annual meetings, the Corps provides an overview of the status of the sys- tem as well its plans for dam opera- tion throughout the year — depending on various runoff scenarios. To begin the hearing, the Corps emphasized the severity of the current drought in the Missouri River basin, which is now in its fifth year - with little relief in sight (see Drought Monitor figure). As of April 1, the mountain snowpack water content 0 C10 Abnormally Dry D Drought - Moderate M 02 Drought • Severe 0 D3 Drought - Extreme 0 D4 Draught • Exceptional above Fort Peck was only at 71 percent of normal, and between Fort Peck and Garrison, it was only slightly higher at 73 percent of normal. This means a continued drop in system storage can be expected throughout the coming year. As far as system storage goes, there are currently only 35.5 million acre -feet (MAF) of water stored in the system — which is a new spring record low. To put this into perspec- tive, the previous record low was set in January 1991, at 40.8 MAE In a normal year, the Corps typically likes to start the summer with 57 MAF of water in the system, or 21.5 MAF more than is currently available. Of great significance, is the fact that the system has been drawn down so far, that the very industry (naviga- tion) that has advocated higher river Ltgugitt.tttmrA Iypeo N Delineates dominant impacts A = AgrxxUtural (crops, pastures grasslands) H = Hydrological (water) (No We = 001h impacts) The Drought Monitor focuses on broad -scale conditions Locei conatrons trey vary. See accompanying text summary for forecast statements. RO%8ed Thursday, April 7, 2005 AttMor posglas to Comte, CPQNOAA flows downstream and the release of water from upper basin reservoirs, will now be subjected to a shortened navigation season. If system storage dips below 35 MAF by July 1, the navigation season will be shortened 61 days. If system storage dips below 31 MAF before March 15, 2006, there will be no additional water released for navigation next year. As Gov. Hoeven pointed out in his remarks at the hearing, had the lower basin states been more open to water conservation in the upper reservoirs during the past five years, they might not have been facing a complete shut -down of the navigation industry in the coming years. Unfortunately, it seems that much of the damage has already been done, leaving almost all hope for improve- ment with Mother Nature. As the big upper three reservoirs currently sit, Fort Peck, Garrison, and Oahe are down 35, 29, and 34 -feet, respec- tively. Lake Sakakwea was at 1,808.4 feet above mean sea level (amsl) in April, which was a new record low, surpassing the previous record set in May 1991 of 1,815 feet amsl. If the Corps' projections are correct, Saka- kawea will continue to break record low elevations for most of the next year. On Oahe, the situation is much the same. As of April, its elevation was 1,573.8 feet amsl — far below the previous record low of 1,580.7 feet amsl set in 1989. In response to the record low water levels, there were concerns brought before the Corps by various interests at the hearing relating to weed control and the associated fire danger along the many miles of ex- posed shoreline, water and shoreline access, and the health of the fishery. To address some of these concerns, the Corps has allocated additional funding from its budget to pay for weed control, boat ramp improve- ments /access, water supply intakes, and cultural resources protection. 16 North Dakota Water ■ May 2005