Corps of Engineers begins annual drawdown of Ashtabula and Homme lakes

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, will drawdown or lower levels of two North Dakota reservoirs, Lake Ashtabula behind Baldhill Dam, near Valley City, starting Monday, Oct. 3, and Homme Lake behind Homme Reservoir, near Park River, starting in November.

Both drawdowns normally occur in the fall and winter to allow room for spring runoff.

The annual drawdown at Lake Ashtabula is scheduled to occur from October through February. It will be lowered approximately 3.3 feet to an elevation of 1,262.5 feet. A discharge of roughly 30 to 300 cubic feet per second, or cfs, is expected during the drawdown.

Homme Lake will be lowered approximately 2.8 feet to an elevation of 1,077.0 feet throughout the month of November with a discharge of approximately 20 cfs.

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

Current and historical lake levels and releases can be accessed here www.mvp-wc.usace.army.mil or 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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