Hoeven Meets With Corps Officials, Mississippi River Commission, Emphasizes Drought Conservation In Upper Basin

Press Release

Gov. John Hoeven today met at Fort Stevenson State Park with Army Corps of Engineers officials and members of the Mississippi River Commission to stress the need for drought conservation throughout the Missouri River Basin.

"Good drought conservation measures help not only the all of us on the Missouri River, but also those who live and work on the Mississippi," Hoeven said. "The Missouri is a tributary of the Mississippi River, but we need adequate conservation on the Missouri to meet upper basin needs."

Hoeven said lower Missouri River and Mississippi River interests want water for barge traffic. Good drought management practices enable higher and more stable water levels in the Missouri River basin, while providing greater predictability for the lower reaches of the Missouri River and the Mississippi, according to Hoeven.

"Shortening the navigation season early in a drought cycle, instead of waiting until the region is deep into it, will help protect fisheries, recreational interests, water intakes and other vital uses in the upper basin, resulting in greater predictability for navigation downstream," Hoeven said. "If reservoirs are drawn down too far, it results in a 'preclude,' which means adverse impacts to upstream interests, and no navigation season at all downstream. That serves nobody's interest."

The seven-member panel appointed by the President is touring the entire Missouri River system, which runs 2,341 miles from its origins near Missouri River Headwaters State Park near Three Forks, Montana, through North Dakota and other states until it meets the Mississippi River at St. Louis, Missouri.

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