U.S. Army Corps reduces water release to Missouri River

OMAHA, Neb. (KMIZ)

The US Army Corps of Engineers announced on Monday that dam releases in Nebraska were reduced to relieve pressure on Missouri levees.

According to the release, water releases at Gavins Point Dam in Omaha were reduced from 38,000 cfs down to 35,000 cfs.

The corps said releases were expected to be as high as 41,000 cfs, but increased runoff to Missouri caused the governmental body to back off the amount. Lowering the amount of water released will keep rivers from reaching max capacity.

A USACE spokesman said dam releases will change periodically throughout the year.

“Releases are going to fluctuate frequently this year as part of our aggressive strategy to maintain as much flood control storage as possible for as long as possible," said John Remus Army Corps chief of the Missouri River Basin.

Remus added that residents should be aware of changes with Missouri River management.

"I encourage all interested parties to monitor National Weather Service river forecasts, Missouri River Water Management reports and set up weather alerts for the most up-to-date weather and river information."

Many levees are still damaged from floods in 2019. The weather outlook for Mid-Missouri shows more floods are expected in 2020.