By David Hendee
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

The Missouri River's reservoir system has recovered about one-third of the storage lost during eight consecutive years of drought.

Water levels in the three biggest reservoirs in the Dakotas and Montana are up 11 to 18 feet since April 1, the Army Corps of Engineers said Wednesday.

The corps attributed the gains to a combination of normal mountain snowpack, rain over much of the upper basin and floodproducing rain in the lower basin.

River managers reduced reservoir releases in spring and early summer to help lessen downstream flooding, said Larry Murphy in the corps' Omaha river office.

Murphy said the corps will continue to conserve water to provide full recovery of the reservoir system.

Oahe, Garrison and Fort Peck reservoirs in the Dakotas and Montana gained nearly 2 million acre-feet in July. That's the equivalent of about 115 percent of Lake McConaughy's capacity in western Nebraska.

Because reservoir storage remains lower than normal, the corps is providing minimum flows for barge traffic in Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri.

Last year, the average release from the reservoir system set a record low due to drought conservation measures and high inflows from downstream tributaries.

Corps officials expect that releases will continue to be much below average this year to help reduce downstream flooding and conserve water.

Releases from Gavins Point Dam in northeast Nebraska, the most downstream dam on the river, are expected to average 20,000 cubic feet per second this month, compared with the average 34,900 cfs.

Oahe reservoir in South Dakota rose 1.4 feet in July and 10.8 feet since April 1. The reservoir is nearly 13 feet higher than it was last year at this time but 8.4 feet below its normal elevation.

Garrison reservoir in North Dakota rose 5.8 feet in July and 17.8 feet since April 1. The reservoir is 12.3 feet below normal but 11 feet higher than at this time last year.

Fort Peck reservoir in Montana rose 1.7 feet in July and 10.8 feet since April 1. It is 6.6 feet higher than last year.