The "Mighty Mo," America's longest river, flows past communities in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri – plus it receives water from Wyoming, Colorado and Minnesota. The Izaak Walton League is working with partners throughout the region to make sure this amazing waterway stays healthy. Here's what happened along the river in July.

Heavy Rains Greatly Increased Runoff

Recent storms dumped up to eight times the average rainfall over areas of the tri-state region and significantly added runoff into the Missouri River. The excessive rains caused major flooding that devastated homes, farms, businesses and infrastructure. The high runoff forced some wastewater treatment plants to discharge raw sewage and carried fertilizer, chemicals and other pollutants in waterways.

Above Sioux City, June runoff was 6.6 million acre feet (MAF). That was 119 percent of average and 2.6 MAF more than the forecasted amount. The reach between Gavins Point and Sioux City saw seven times its average runoff in June. The rains raised the annual runoff forecast to 24.6 MAF. That's 3.6 MAF higher than last month’s runoff forecast and would be 96 percent of the long-term average.

The Missouri River basin is again showing why it’s one of the most dynamic systems on the planet. While the eastern basin received excessive rainfall, parts of the west remain dry. About half the basin is rated as abnormally dry or in drought. Warmer-than-average temperatures caused an early melt of all this year’s mountain snowpack. The lack of rain is drying out vegetation, elevating western wildfire potential.

Get more information on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ operation of the Missouri River.

League Coordinates Massive Missouri River Cleanup

On July 10, 97 volunteers picked up 2.21 tons of litter and trash during the 14th Pierre-Fort Pierre Missouri River Cleanup. Eight boats and many land-based crews brought the trash to Down’s Marina in Pierre, where it was sorted and properly disposed of. The cleanup gathered 2,100 pounds of rubble (lumber), 1,780 pounds of litter and trash, 280 pounds of scrap metal, and 260 pounds of tires.

Since this cleanup began in 2009, over 30 tons of litter and trash has been collected. The effort makes the Missouri River healthier for fish and wildlife and a more pleasing place for people to recreate.

This year’s cleanup was coordinated by the League; South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks; the Fish and Wildlife Service; the Army Corps of Engineers; Backcountry Hunters and Anglers; and the cities of Pierre and Fort Pierre. Following the cleanup, the volunteers enjoyed a picnic supper with food donated by 12 area restaurants.

Corps Hosting Recovery Workshop

As you’re reading this, I’m in Nebraska City, Nebraska, attending the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers annual Missouri River Recovery Program’s (MRRP) Adaptive Management Workshop. The event started July 30 and runs through August 1.

This meeting featured a tour of fish and wildlife mitigation sites that are designed to restore a portion of the over 522,000 acres of habitat lost through the construction of the Bank Stabilization and Navigation Project. Learn more about the mitigation project.

Fort Peck Test Flows Conclude

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has ended the experimental test flows from Fort Peck Dam in northeastern Montana. The flows, conducted for the first time, were done to assess potential benefits for the endangered pallid sturgeon in the upper Missouri River. The flows began April 26 and included two peaks: one in late April and a second in mid-June. The Corps planned to run a flow of 8,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) until September 1. But extensive monitoring of several radio-tagged pallids showed that those fish did not spawn as hoped. As a result, the Corps returned the dam to its normal operation.

Throughout the flows, the Corps monitored pallid response and evaluated impacts to cultural resources, water quality and human resources. It was hoped the higher flows will lead to successful spawning of pallids in the upper river. No pallid reproduction has been documented in the upper river since the dams were built on the Missouri River decades ago.

Learn more.

Emerald Ash Borer Continues To Spread

The invasive emerald ash borer (EAB) has been found in Brookings. The South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources confirmed the infestation and placed Brookings County on the state Plant Pest Quarantine. In South Dakota, the quarantine area now includes all of Brookings, Minnehaha, Lincoln, Turner and Union counties. The year-round quarantine prohibits moving firewood and ash materials from those counties to other areas for either commercial or private use.

EAB feeds on all species of North American ash; this infestation kills the tree. EAB were first detected in the United States in 2002. The insect is also found in Iowa and Nebraska. We’re in the middle of the camping season, so please remember to buy firewood where you’re going to burn it. This will prevent moving EAB or other invasive species.

Learn more.

Top photo: Grasses by the Missouri River. Photo credits: Paul Lepisto.