Corps of Engineers begins annual drawdown of North Dakota reservoirs

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, will begin the fall drawdown at Homme Lake, near Park River, North Dakota, Oct. 31.

The Corps will lower Homme Lake by approximately three feet from the current elevation of 1,080 feet to an elevation of 1,077 feet from Oct. 31 to Nov. 20. This will cause small increases in downstream river flows of around 25 cubic feet per second.

The Corps began a drawdown of Lake Ashtabula, near Valley City, North Dakota, Oct. 1. Lake Ashtabula continues to slowly drop to the winter drawdown target. The Corps expects to decrease releases from Baldhill Dam the week of Oct. 30 in response to the seasonal shutdown of the Devils Lakes outlets.

Fall/winter drawdowns are necessary to help manage anticipated snowmelt runoff in the spring. Additional drawdowns may be necessary depending on snow fall amounts over the winter.

The Corps will closely monitor snowpack throughout the winter and adjust as necessary.

Current and historical lake levels and releases can be accessed at https://water.usace.army.mil. All Corps reservoirs are operated in accordance with detailed water control manuals to ensure the system performs as designed.

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