A Basin Electric crew took to the skies this morning to document the flood along the Missouri River. Here are two looks: one at the Garrison Dam and spillway, and another over Bismarck and Mandan.
At midnight, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers started releasing 103,000 cfs (cubic feet per second) of water from the Garrison Dam, and the amount has been increasing all day. As of 3:15 p.m., the river is at 17 feet at Bismarck and Mandan, which is one foot above flood stage.
The river level is expected to rise steadily as the Corps continues to release more water from the dam. The Corps’ goal is to eventually release 150,000 cfs. This flood event will last through the summer.
Interesting to see an engineering masterpiece function as it was intended. Too bad all of those homes are damaged or in peril.