By Katie Knapp Schubert
Omaha, NE – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to increase the amount of water released from Gavins Point Dam to 160,000 cubic feet per second.
A news release from the Omaha District Corps' office says the 160,000 cubic feet per second releases begin Thursday. That'll last through August. Currently, 150,000 cubic feet per second of water is being released from Gavins Point Dam.
Corps' officials anticipate the additional water will raise the Missouri River level another three-tenths to four-tenths of a foot in Omaha. As of Wednesday morning, the river is at 34.7 feet in Omaha.
Officials say the additional releases are necessary because of heavy rain in Nebraska and the Dakotas. That resulted in high inflows to dams upstream of Gavins Point.