Heard through the rumor mill that any precipitation that Sakakawea receives from this storm will just be sent downstream because the corp wants to keep the water level where it is to do some repairs on the 83 embankment. Any truth to this? If so than the why is anyone getting their hopes up for the lake to recover form the drought we have been having?
Not true. Lake Sak doesn't necessarily have a bright future when it comes to water levels this summer, but it is the reservoir that is to be favored for steady to rising water levels during the early part of summer for spawning purposes.
I'd suggest in the future to immediately dismiss such rumors as generally baseless in nature. People like to bitch about the Corps, and we can always discuss the rules in the Master Manual for management of that water, but they aren't in charge of making it rain/snow. For example, will there be days of higher than normal energy production needed from a given hydroelectric facility? Perhaps, and maybe even probable, but it's not a concerted effort to short one reservoir over another.