Corps solicits input on proposed changes to Homme Dam operations

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, will host a public meeting to solicit feedback on a Corps proposal to update the water control plan for the Homme Reservoir on the Park River.

The meeting will be held Feb. 26, from 6:30-8 p.m., at the Walsh County Courthouse, 600 Cooper Ave., Grafton, N.D.

The Corps is proposing to update the water control manual as to how drawdown of the pool is performed prior to spring runoff. The proposed change calls for an initial drawdown of three feet in November and completing the drawdown when temperatures warm up to reduce ice formation within the channel and at bridges. The actual drawdown target will be based on the average basin snow water equivalent. These suggested changes to the water control plan were prompted by resident concern over ice buildup during the water releases made over cold winter periods.

The public is invited to the meeting to learn more about the proposed changes and provide comment on the plan. Please contact Megan McGuire, Corps of Engineers, at 651-290-5990 or Megan.K.McGuire@usace.army.mil, with questions.

The nearly 650 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, employees working at more than 40 sites in five upper-Midwest states serve the American public in the areas of environmental enhancement, navigation, flood damage reduction, water and wetlands regulation, recreation sites and disaster response. Through the Corps’ Fiscal Year 2011 $175 million budget, nearly 2,800 non-Corps jobs were added to the regional economy as well as $271 million to the national economy. For more information, see www.mvp.usace.army.mil.

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