Uh oh—if Aberdeen does stretch a pipe out to Mobridge to bring water to town, the engineers had better build it a few yards longer. Dry conditions and less snowpack mean a lower Missouri River:
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Thursday that significantly less water is expected to flow into the river this year because conditions remain so dry and snowpack is below normal levels. April was an exceptionally dry month the region.
Because of that, officials said Thursday that only about 69% of the normal amount of water is expected to flow into the Missouri River this year.
The Corps now estimates that 17.8 million acre feet (21.96 cubic kilometers) of water will flow into the river this year. That is well below the average of 25.8 million acre feet (31.82 cubic kilometers) [“Missouri River Remains Low Headed into Summer,” AP, 2021.05.06].
Can we blame climate change? NOAA’s new climate normals show that the mountains from which our sacred waters flow have heated up over the past century:
…and while much of the country has gotten wetter, the Rockies are showing more dry spots:
South Dakota has pinned a lot of its economic development hopes on Missouri River water. But our ignorance of climate science may lead to those pins coming loose amidst dry ground.
WEB needs to put some bigger pipes in existing areas. Current pipes are limiting growth imo.
How’s the Ogallaga Aquafier doing? It’s a real question? Those Nebraskans hoarding it? It is under reservation land in South Dakota.
Mark, don’t know how it is today, but last report I knew of it had depleted quite a bit. However, if PowerTech (a Canadian corporation) obtains their water permits from the state Water Board for more than 2500 gallons/minute of water than Rapid City uses we (and everyone who counts on using that aquifer from SD south to Texas) takes a chance on that being polluted with the uranium recovery chemicals etc they will use to extract uranium. They are going to ‘force-pump’ that same water back into the aquifers they take it from after they pull the uranium out. So they say, and if in 5 yrs they have ruined said aquifers, “Tough shizki friends in SD-we’re broke and ya can’t get blood ou of a turnip! See ya around-suckers!
Supreme Court ruled that Colorado has no legal obligation to allow snowmelt water flow to any other state. However, until hedge fund managers get in the game, only Washington DC has enough federal money to afford building a dam. Thus, the water continues to flow downstream to Nebraska and California.
Mark Anderson. Working on a road here above the Ogalalla Aquifer in central NE. Farmer who’s feedlot pump we are drawing water has a big sign out front “No Pipeline – No Problem”. I told him I liked his sign and he said he’d fought long and hard to get it (KXL) out of the area. On the other hand – the farmers are really still drawing it down. This despite what those maps show as having been VERY wet years since 1981.
New study of declining fish popuilation in Missouri River and Lewis and Clark lake between Gavins Point and Fort Randall dams (started in 2021). The fish populations slumped drastically after catastropic floods in 2011 and despite over a 100 million fry and fingerling walleyes having b een stocked since 2014.
Study being conducted grad student, Will Ratigan of U of Neb/Lincoln with help of Nebraska ame and fish and South Duhkota game and fish departments.
I have no idea when the study ends. This story was in the October 2023 Fur Fish and Game magazine.
Walleye eat their own that is a known. Farm them and let anglers pay to catch them. Good source of income and you can prolly get 10 grand or so from grandma NOem and her boyfriend to get started. https://www.agriculture.com/podcast/successful-farming-radio-podcast/raising-walleye