Gavins Point Dam. (file photo)
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers predicts dry conditions will persist in the Missouri River Basin this year.
Last year, the runoff in the Missouri River basin above Sioux City was just 59 percent of average volume — the 10th lowest annual runoff in 123 years of record keeping. According to a news release from the Army Corps of Engineers office in Omaha. the ongoing drought shows no relief in sight.
The water flow out of upstream reservoirs was reduced this past July. There will be releases from Gavins Point Dam this winter, at minimum levels, though. The Army Corps says the flow in the Missouri River along Iowa’s western border will meet with needs of cities that use the river as a source of drinking water.