The Dam at Gavins Point in South Dakata is slated to increase it’s water releases to 150,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) sometime next week.

Releases at the dam at the end of this week have reached 145,000 cfs. Releases previously have not topped 70,000 cfs second before.

Five dams help control the Missouri River upstream.  The Gavins Point dam is the furthest downstream in the series of dams.  Some of the dams upstream from Gavins Point have already reached the 150,000 cfs rate.

Next Tuesday, The Corps of Engineers plans to increase to the 150,000 cfs rate, that’s the level they are expected to stay at through mid-July or longer. It could be until August before the releases decrease in cubic feet.

By Friday, the Missouri river at St Joseph was at 22.4 feet. It’s expected to reach near 26 ½ feet by Thursday. At Rulo, the river was at 23 ½ feet Friday and is expected to reach 25 ½ feet by Thursday. The record level at Rulo is 26.6 feet.

The river level in Brownville near the Cooper Nuclear Power Plant was at 39.6 feet Friday, and is expected to reach 41 feet sometime next week. The record level there is just over 44 feet.

Parts of Iowa are already feeling the impact of the record releases along the Missouri River. A portion of Interstate 29 closed this week near Interstate 80 and northeast of Omaha. The Missouri River in parts of Iowa rose 2 feet in the last week.

For the latest in river stages, visit the National Weather Service Hydrologic Predictions.