Corps Reviews Fort Peck Water Flows
Test flows from Fort Peck Dam will be at 10,000 cubic feet per second through mid-June, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Test flows reached 18,000 cfs in Wolf Point on Wednesday, May 1, and held for three days.
During weekly virtual meeting on May 8, Michael Swenson, Corps of Engineers, said the daily average flow was reduced to 12,000 on May 7, 11,000 on May 8 and 10,000 on May 9.
“The plan is to hold the flow to 10,000 daily average through mid-June when we schedule the next high flow from Fort Peck,” Swenson said.
It was reported that some fish have moved in and others have moved out during the process. Fishing moving in have included four males and two females.
The 2018 Biological Opinion requires the test under the Endangered Species Act for operation of the Missouri River Mainstream Reservoir System. The purpose of the test flows is to evaluate the potential for achieving pallid sturgeon spawning and recruitment on the upper Missouri River.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Missouri River Water Management Division started its weekly virtual meetings on Wednesdays on April 24, to keep residents updated on the status of Fort Peck test flows.
