The chief of the Missouri River Basin Water Management Division of the US Army Corps of Engineers says the Corps has gone into drought management status.
The Corps held a meeting in Bismarck on the Missouri Basin water management plan.
"The reservoirs have dipped into what we call our 'carryover pool,' or 'conservation pool,'" said John Remus in an interview. "We're serving all the purposes, maybe at a little bit lesser level."
Remus said this will likely carry into 2025.
"It hasn't rained here in North Dakota in a long time, or in the upper basin anywhere," Remus said. "We're looking at a fairly dry winter, or lesser runoff in the spring."
Remus said the Corps plans to closely monitor the mountain and plains snowpack this winter. But he said reservoir levels and releases will likely be lower than average.
