Missouri River flooding

[MikeHenriksen]

Re: Missouri River flooding

As someone who has seen what is going on down south of Sioux City, this media person is VERY well aware of the dangers upstream from there! This could be an unprecedented disaster if those dams break.

[slosho]

Re: Missouri River flooding

As someone who has seen what is going on down south of Sioux City, this media person is VERY well aware of the dangers upstream from there! This could be an unprecedented disaster if those dams break.

The dam's are NOT going to break, and the last thing we need is ppl especially the media spreading fear in this way. (I know that was not your intent.) That would not just be unprecedented but catastrophic and tragic. MANY lives would be lost. so let's let that discussion die there.

Now if you would like to discuss the likelihood that Oahe will rise above 1620 and the emergency spillway will flow, I think that is a point worth discussion.

[MontanaRabbit]

Re: Missouri River flooding

The dam's are NOT going to break, and the last thing we need is ppl especially the media spreading fear in this way. (I know that was not your intent.) That would not just be unprecedented but catastrophic and tragic. MANY lives would be lost. so let's let that discussion die there.

Now if you would like to discuss the likelihood that Oahe will rise above 1620 and the emergency spillway will flow, I think that is a point worth discussion.

Good post. I thought this when I read Mike's post. Although I don't believe that was his intent, many people have no clue about the dams and could believe them possibly breaking as a fact.

To reiterate, the dams are NOT going to break. If the water gets high enough, the emergency spillway will be used. Meaning an uncontrolled volume of water is coming through the dams...not a good scenario.

Here is a link to a story Kelo had with the Army Corps director from Omaha.

http://www.keloland.com/NewsDetail6162.cfm?Id=117222

I'm still pretty adament that the Corps is in a tough spot. Too many people to try to please and years with record breaking rains across the entire upper Missouri River basin like this year make that job impossible. The flooding would be much more frequent if the dams weren't present.

[Nidaros]

Re: Missouri River flooding

Does anyone know the estimated life of these dams? They are at the 60 year mark in service. I think the workmanship should hold up though. There used to be a high school at Pickstown and their team usually got beat out in the district. Thought I would mention this because they worked a long time at Fort Randall long enough to have their own high school and town. Pickstown was named after Pick one of the engineers whose brain child was to build six dams on the Missour from Montana to SD. He had a partner in crime named Sloan. I think these guys knew what they were doing and it would be a super mess without the dams. Most of the legislatation was referred to the Pick-Sloan legislatation. I have fond recollection of Uncle Karl speaking of the PickSloan legislation. Uncle Karl was none other than Senator Karl Mundt. He being a Conseratvie Republican did not oppose Pick-Sloan legislation.

[MontanaRabbit]

Re: Missouri River flooding

Does anyone know the estimated life of these dams? They are at the 60 year mark in service. I think the workmanship should hold up though. There used to be a high school at Pickstown and their team usually got beat out in the district. Thought I would mention this because they worked a long time at Fort Randall long enough to have their own high school and town. Pickstown was named after Pick one of the engineers whose brain child was to build six dams on the Missour from Montana to SD. He had a partner in crime named Sloan. I think these guys knew what they were doing and it would be a super mess without the dams. Most of the legislatation was referred to the Pick-Sloan legislatation. I have fond recollection of Uncle Karl speaking of the PickSloan legislation. Uncle Karl was none other than Senator Karl Mundt. He being a Conseratvie Republican did not oppose Pick-Sloan legislation.

I would guess for earthen dams like all of them on the Missouri, the life is infinate. As long as they prevent erosion.

[slosho]

Re: Missouri River flooding

Does anyone know the estimated life of these dams? They are at the 60 year mark in service. I think the workmanship should hold up though. There used to be a high school at Pickstown and their team usually got beat out in the district. Thought I would mention this because they worked a long time at Fort Randall long enough to have their own high school and town. Pickstown was named after Pick one of the engineers whose brain child was to build six dams on the Missour from Montana to SD. He had a partner in crime named Sloan. I think these guys knew what they were doing and it would be a super mess without the dams. Most of the legislatation was referred to the Pick-Sloan legislatation. I have fond recollection of Uncle Karl speaking of the PickSloan legislation. Uncle Karl was none other than Senator Karl Mundt. He being a Conseratvie Republican did not oppose Pick-Sloan legislation.

I believe they have done core sampling on oahe in the not too distant past... I would think this would be a good question to direct at Pierre_jacks_fan.

[joeboo22]

Re: Missouri River flooding

Yeah I don't think the dams are going to blow at any time.

Supposedly they were doing core samples at Fort Randall this past week. I was there yesterday they don't have all the gates open but they were releasing a ton of water from the dam portion of it.

I heard on the radio today that the road between Lake Yankton and the River has water over the road. (Lake Yankton is the lake below the dam that is next to where the flood gates open up.)

Lake Oahe is going to be interesting if they have to open the gates. Someone tried telling me that they opened them up in 97 is that true?

As far as these crack wack jobs who keep trying to tell me that this is some big conspiracy and that the Corps just want to flood the area... Shut up... OK now I am sure if they knew it was going to rain 8 inches in 3 days in MT, if they knew it was going to rain throughout North Dakota and South Dakota for months on end they may have released more earlier. However they did release a bunch last August/September and were releasing water as soon as the freeze went away.

[slosho]

Re: Missouri River flooding

Yeah I don't think the dams are going to blow at any time.

Lake Oahe is going to be interesting if they have to open the gates. Someone tried telling me that they opened them up in 97 is that true?

Joe as far as I know these gates have never been opened. 97 was a wet year so I doubt they opened them even for maintenance.

[Pierre_Jacks_Fan]

Re: Missouri River flooding

I'm sure each Dam is different for design life but here at Oahe the only impact would be the eventual sedimentation of the reservoir. Constant maintenance and upgrades to new technology will make all the Dams viable for many generations to come. If you ever get the chance visit one of our visitor centers at one the Dams. You will be amazed at the engineering that went into these facilities along with the skill of the people that built them. I know I am and I work here everyday. Both my grandfathers came to Pierre and help build the Oahe Dam.

Does anyone know the estimated life of these dams? They are at the 60 year mark in service. I think the workmanship should hold up though. There used to be a high school at Pickstown and their team usually got beat out in the district. Thought I would mention this because they worked a long time at Fort Randall long enough to have their own high school and town. Pickstown was named after Pick one of the engineers whose brain child was to build six dams on the Missour from Montana to SD. He had a partner in crime named Sloan. I think these guys knew what they were doing and it would be a super mess without the dams. Most of the legislatation was referred to the Pick-Sloan legislatation. I have fond recollection of Uncle Karl speaking of the PickSloan legislation. Uncle Karl was none other than Senator Karl Mundt. He being a Conseratvie Republican did not oppose Pick-Sloan legislation.

[West-River_Jack]

Re: Missouri River flooding

I'm sure each Dam is different for design life but here at Oahe the only impact would be the eventual sedimentation of the reservoir.

Has anyone seen any comment or projection on what effect, if any, the high water flows will have on that sedimentation? I have read in the past that sedimentation is especially a concern at Lewis and Clark Lake.

[joeboo22]

Re: Missouri River flooding

Has anyone seen any comment or projection on what effect, if any, the high water flows will have on that sedimentation? I have read in the past that sedimentation is especially a concern at Lewis and Clark Lake.

sedimentation is a concern throughout the Missouri River because before the Dams it was traditionally a very sedimentary river. Lewis and Clark is a little worse then the others because of the Niabrara River that flows into the lake. I do laugh however at Yankton residents because when Springfield complained 20 years ago about it Yankton didn't care 1 bit, now that its a bit closer they care a lot more.

As far as upgrades on the dams, my dad talked with some of the guys who run Ft. Randall, this was a little over a year ago. And they said that structure wise they are fine and upgraded regularly however as far as the generators and those type of things until the past few years with stimulus money very few upgrades had ever been done.

[leeshajo]

Re: Missouri River flooding

each of the dams does free tours... go take one.. it is like traveling back in time.

[mango4]

Re: Missouri River flooding

Joe as far as I know these gates have never been opened. 97 was a wet year so I doubt they opened them even for maintenance.

The emergency spillway gates have never been opened. I don't think any of the dams along the river in North Dakota and South Dakota have ever used their spillways until this year. There was some concern (may still be) that if they gates were opened that they couldn't get them back down since they have never been used.

[Southeast]

Re: Missouri River flooding

Here's a link to some photos taken from on the water at (mostly) Dakota Dunes and Yankton. I've been working at Dakota Dunes almost daily since things ramped up on June 2nd.

https://skydrive.live.com/redir.aspx...94B49604C5!367

[joeboo22]

Re: Missouri River flooding

The emergency spillway gates have never been opened. I don't think any of the dams along the river in North Dakota and South Dakota have ever used their spillways until this year. There was some concern (may still be) that if they gates were opened that they couldn't get them back down since they have never been used.

I only know Yankton, was opened last year late in the summer. Was opened in 2003? I think, they needed to flush out an island there. And in 1997 which was the previous flood. Yankton is different however and can only put relatively small amounts through the electric portion of it.