Originally published March 19, 2009 at 9:33 a.m., updated March 19, 2009 at 9:33 a.m.
A small pulse of water will be put into the Missouri River beginning Saturday.
The "spring rise" is engineered to benefit the endangered pallid sturgeon, the Army Corps of Engineers announced Thursday.
The pulse, part of the requirements of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, were also conducted in 2006 and 2008. It has generated concerns from landowners and communities downstream concerned about potential flooding.
The pulse coincides with the annual increase in releases from Gavins Point Dam, near Yankton, S.D., to provide flows for commercial navigation of the Missouri River. This will be the seventh consecutive year only minimum navigation flows will be supported because of drought impacts on upstream reservoirs.
Releases will be increased by an additional 4,500 cubic feet per second for two days beginning Saturday. They will be gradually decreased beginning Monday, returning to minimum navigation flows by late next week. With the pulse, the releases will still be less than the normal full service navigation flows. River levels are expected to rise 1.5 feet at Sioux City and Omaha and less than half a foot at Hermann, Mo.
"We have safeguards in place that reduce or eliminate the pulse if high downstream flow is occurring," said Larry Cieslik, chief of the water management office in Omah. "These safeguards are designed to ensure that the pulse does not cause downstream flooding."
Monitoring teams will be on the river over the next several weeks to collect data on physical and biological responses to the pulse.
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skyla123 says...
I would like to know how much money the corps of engineers and the us fish and wildlife service has spent on those no good fish nobody cares about. Just think if they would put forth the effort in improving the levy system in our country .They need to get thier priorietys rite take care of the fish or the poeple that live around the rivers in this country.........
March 19, 2009 at 8:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
JAFO says...
there are a couple of schools of thought concering the pulse. the corps states that the pulse is supossed to mimmick the effects of 1/2 inch of rain. the only real danger is if we are already at or near flood stage. and we are not. as far as the recent changes in the release of water. now for all you fisherman, sunday will be the day to go fishing. not only does the increased flow of water stimulate the pallid sturgeon to spawn, but it stimulates the feeding activity of most game fish. ie catfish, carp, etc...
now for the other school of thought, i am wondering how much it cost the railroad industry to fund the lobbyists in washington to pursue this "minimum flow for navigation." it seems very coincidental that trains and barge traffic carry grain. granted barge travel is slower and frought with more peril, but in the long run it is far cheaper to use the river to haul grain. now with the low water levels, there is no railroad competition.
March 19, 2009 at 9:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )