Hoeven: Corps to Set Missouri River Basin Releases at Minimum Level, More Water Conservation Still Needed

BISMARCK, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today issued the following statement after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) conducted its September review of Lake Sakakawea storage levels. Hoeven has been working closely with the Corps to track water levels in the Missouri River system, with the senator repeatedly pressing the Corps to reserve water, plan for drought conditions to continue into 2027 and help address low lake levels. Following the review, the Corps has decided to set the winter release rate at 12,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) for the main dam system in the upper Missouri River Basin, which is the minimum allowable level. This follows the Corps reducing flows to the minimum allowable level for spring and summer and shortening the navigation flow support season by 15 days. Despite these measures, the Corps forecasts that water levels in Lake Sakakawea will continue to decrease, lowering by approximately 5 ft by the end of February 2027. Accordingly, Hoeven is calling on the Corps to take all other possible water conservation measures in the fall and winter seasons. “We recognize that the Corps has minimized flows going out of the upper Missouri Basin, but more needs to be done. Drought conditions are expected to continue throughout the fall and winter, and water levels in Lake Sakakawea will continue to decrease. We depend on this water for irrigation, and low water levels create real challenges for accessing the lake. That’s why we will continue pressing the Corps to do everything it can to conserve water and to reduce flows out of Garrison Dam as much as possible,” said Hoeven. -###-