I read this report from American Rivers and thought I'd post it to the
Iowa Chapter email list.  Can anyone on this list provide more info?
Thanks!


---------------- Begin Forwarded Message ----------------
<snip>

River News for the Week of December 24, 1999

MISSOURI RIVER DAM REFORMS: Six Iowa conservation groups (Iowa Audubon,
the Iowa Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club of Iowa, the Iowa Environmental
Council, the Northwest Iowa Group of Sierra Club, and the Fremont County
Conservation Group) this week urged Vice President Al Gore to reform
Missouri River dam operations to boost river wildlife and recreation. The
groups sent a letter to the Vice President seeking his support for the
"split season" alternative as the preferred option for the Corps of
Engineers' Missouri River Master Manual. The Corps is completing a review
of Missouri River mainstem dam operations and was scheduled to select a
preferred alternative by Christmas, issue a Draft Environmental Impact
Statement in March, and then hold public hearings. Under the alternative,
the Corps would increase dam releases from Gavins Point Dam from 35,000
cfs to 50,000 cfs between May 1 and June 15, and then reduce dam releases
to 18,000 cfs during the summer, temporarily suspending barge traffic
between July 1 and August 20. Barge traffic would continue in the spring
and fall, when more than 80 percent of the river's cargo moves. Corps
studies show the higher spring flows would not harm floodplain farmers.
(American Rivers Press Release 12/20)

As an update, the Corps has delayed release of the Missouri River
management plan, which has been in development for almost a decade, until
sometime in January, reports the Omaha World-Herald (12/23). Upstream
residents prefer a plan that supports maintaining appropriate/seasonal
water flow for recreation and wildlife, while downstream residents seek
sufficient flows for navigation and to combat droughts. American Rivers,
along with five Democratic U.S. senators from the upper Missouri River
Basin, support a split-season option that "calls for higher flows on the
river in the spring to mimic the river's natural spring rise and to
benefit fish and wildlife, followed by low flows in the summer and flows
that are sufficient to support barge navigation in the fall."

     *     *     *
<snip>

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to:
[log in to unmask]