Sakakawea on the rise once again
By KIM FUNDINGSLAND, Staff Writer kfundingsland@minotdailynews.com
POSTED: June 20, 2008
RIVERDALE – The good news keeps coming for Lake Sakakawea.
Last week, the June forecast for Lake Sakakawea showed a 2-foot increase over the May 1 outlook. Now, due to more inflow than expected by forecasters, the state’s largest reservoir is set to rise even more.
The three-week Missouri Main Stem outlook issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers predicts that Lake Sakakawea will reach 1,817 feet by July 1. That’s more than 2 feet above the official June 1 outlook and 3 feet better than the May forecast.
“Yes, we are exceeding the June first forecast,” said Todd Lindquist, operations manager for the Corps’ Riverdale office. “We expect a couple of feet higher than predicted. That’s primarily due to high inflow, higher than forecasted.”
Lindquist explained that the Corps is significantly reducing releases out of the reservoirs in the Upper Missouri System; Fort Peck, Lake Sakakawea and Lake Oahe. The cutback is because of recent flooding at downstream points, a situation very similar to what happened a year ago. The most dramatic increase in the level of water will occur on Lake Oahe where a 7-foot rise is under way.
“We’re building up in the upper three reservoirs and reducing releases out of Oahe. Oahe will get the most benefit,” said Lindquist. “Releases from Sakakawea will stay at the 15,000 cubic feet per second average, but the releases will fluctuate dramatically based on power needs.”
Releases from Lake Sakakawea pass through electrical generating turbines at the Garrison Dam power plant. Water released through the turbines could go as high as 30,000 cfs for up to six hours at a time and then drop to 10,000 cfs for the remainder of the 24-hour period.
Water levels much lower than the long-term average have plagued Lake Sakakawea for the past several years, often hovering at or below the 1,808 level which is considered a minimum level for several access points to the lake. The latest improved outlook is good news for lake interests.
“Absolutely!” said Dick Messerly, manager of Fort Stevenson State Park. “The more water we get the more water people think they have to be on. People started getting the perception that there’s not water in Lake Sakakawea. We’re a water-based park and more water means better fishing.”
Better fishing is not instantly expected with an increase in water levels. However, if the water continues to rise and spread into vegetation that has firmly taken hold along shorelines that have been out of the water for several years, natural reproduction of fish in the reservoir should increase dramatically. The level often referred to by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department for improved fish spawning is 1,825 feet. Lake Sakakawea stood at 1,815.5 on Wednesday.
With more water flowing into the system than expected from the Yellowstone River drainage and other tributaries of the Missouri River in Montana, Lake Sakakawea might still see more increases above what is included in the three-week forecast. The next official outlook is the July 1 forecast.
“I expect next month’s forecast to show some improvement for Lake Sakakawea as well,” said Lindquist.
The current monthly forecast called for a peak of 1,817.5 feet at the end of November.
The Corps’ water management year ends in February 2009. Lindquist said he expects that adjustments will be made to winter releases to bring all three Upper Missouri reservoirs, “relatively speaking,” back into balance.
