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BISMARCK - The North Dakota Department of Water Resources announced it has shut down the Devils Lake East End Outlet and West End Outlet to comply with downstream water quality constraints.
The East End Outlet was shut down on Aug. 24 after operating for 102 days this year. The West End Outlet was shut down on Aug. 31 after operating for 112 days. The total combined discharge from both outlets was about 53,000 acre-feet for the 2026 operation season.
Following the temporary shutdown of the outlets in August, water quality sampling conducted in September and October showed no improvement in downstream water quality. Therefore, outlet operations for the 2026 season have concluded before freeze-up.
DWR stated it remains committed to operating the Devils Lake Outlets and will discharge as much water as possible given the operating constraints.