Agencies Meet to Address Lake Level Concerns
The forecasts for Lake Sakakawea and Lake Oahe are not promising:
“Given current water levels and projected runoff based on mountain snowpack, its likely both lakes Sakakawea and Oahe will be 5-10 feet lower than the lake elevations experienced in 2021,” said North Dakota Game and Fish Department fisheries chief Greg Power. “At these forecasted elevations, boating access at many, if not most of the boat ramps, will become problematic.”
That’s the bad news.
The good news, Power said, is that work was done during previous droughts that have resulted in a network of low water ramps that may become functional this year.
The anticipated low water levels prompted Game and Fish, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, North Dakota Parks and Recreation and the North Dakota Department of Water Resources to deal with expected low water during the upcoming open water recreational season on the Missouri River System.
For example, Power said Game and Fish and the Corps of Engineers have, “identified and prioritized potential boat ramp sites that will be impacted by the lower lake levels and are seeking additional funding and partnership with stakeholders who manage the respective recreational sites.”
By mid-March, Power noted, various agency staff will reconvene and firm up plans based on funding needs and availability, using the most recent corps runoff forecast data.
While Power said current mountain snowpack for the upper Missouri River basin is only around 80 percent of normal, one storm can change things.
“Of course, this is Mother Nature driven and subject to change,” he said