MO State HS Sports

Missouri River will remain high because of water from dams

The National Weather Service forecast calls for mostly dry conditions until Tuesday. The Missouri River in Jefferson City is on track to fall below major flood stage Monday morning.

The Big Muddy was over 33 feet as of early Friday, with the fourth-highest crest in recorded history near 33.41 feet. Hundreds of Missouri roads are still closed.

It’s a waiting game at the Jefferson City ABB plant in the river bottom. So far the transformer plant remains open even as floodwaters creep onto the parking lot. A spokesman says shifts have been adjusted for the safety of employees. The water hasn’t made it inside the building.

More from The Associated Press:

The amount of water being released into the lower Missouri River from upstream dams will remain at a high level for several months because of recent heavy rain and remaining snowpack.

The Army Corps of Engineers says it expects water releases from reservoirs on the Missouri to be above average through the summer and possibly until November.

The Corps says that for now it’s maintaining the amount of water that’s being released from Gavins Point Dam on the Nebraska-South Dakota border at 75,000 cubic feet (2,124 cubic meters) per second. The Corps’ John Remus says that’s more than twice the average release of water for this time of year.

That may worsen flooding downstream, where many levees have been damaged due to recent high water.

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