Missouri River Basin Filling with Flooding

The Missouri River and its tributaries flow through all or part of 10 states in central part of the United States. The Army Corps of Engineers, working with state and local governments, has constructed massive flood control structures along the length of the river. Six dams are the centerpiece of the Corps's flood control strategy.

The Missouri River basin is absorbing the effects of heavy rains in May as well as the melting snow pack. Each of the six major flood control dams has reached their maximum safe limit for hold water in their reservoir. Each has been forced to release significant amounts of water in addition to that normally used for electrical power generation. From the last dam, Gavins Point, water releases take seven days to reach the end of the Missouri where it flows in to the Mississippi.

The National Weather Service river forecast is showing major or moderate flooding on the Missouri River and most of its tributaries in Montana. North Dakota has some Missouri River flooding, due to water releases from the Fort Peck and Garrison dams. The James River in South Dakota has moderate to major flooding.

The Missouri River forms the border between Iowa and Nebraska. This is below all of the flood control dams. Levees provide protection to cities such as Sioux City, IA and Omaha, NE. The river is expected to crest about Wednesday. National Guard soldiers and airmen have joined with local and state public safety officials to reinforce the levees and patrol them.

The Corps of Engineers publishes a daily river bulletin. The Missouri River at Sioux City, IA, is three feet above flood stage. At Omaha it is 2.5 feet above. At St. Joseph, MO, it is 5.9 feet above flood stage. In the vicinity of Hamburg, IA, the Missouri river levee breeched three times so far, but all the breeches have been closed.

Projections posted on June 2 show that the Corps expects at least three Federal levees and 29 non-Federal levees to be overtopped in the Kansas City District.

The Omaha District of the Corps and the Kansas City District are managing the flood fight. For the last year, the river flows in the Missouri River basin have been managed solely for flood control purposes. The Missouri River Master Manual, last updated in 2006, controls all aspects of the Corps's use of the dams and other flood control projects on the river.