Missouri River Navigation Season Ending Early

(Undated) — The U-S Army Corps of Engineers has decided to cut short the navigation season on the Missouri River this fall as the ongoing drought continues to impact water levels. The chief of the Corps Missouri River Basin Water Management Office, John Remus, says they’ve been conserving water for months by restricting releases from Gavins Point. Remus says one priority is to keep a reserve of water in the upstream reservoirs so they don’t get the water levels so low that they cannot support navigation at all. The Corps has cut back releases, dropping Missouri River levels by a full foot, which will impact boat traffic and could affect municipal water supplies and other utilities that rely on the river. Remus says the navigation season will end on November 28th, which is three days early.