Joel GallowayAssociate Director

USGS North Dakota Water Science CenterInternational Legislators Forum

Deadwood, South DakotaJune 24-26, 2015

An Overview of the Missouri River Basin

U.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Geological Survey

U.S. Geological SurveyU.S. Department of the Interior

• Only Federal Agency within DOI that has no regulatory authority or management responsibilities

• USGS stands as the sole science agency for the DOI• Mission:

provide reliable scientific information to describe and understand our natural resources; minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage water, biological, energy, and mineral resources; and enhance and

protect our quality of life

The USGS is the science provider of choice in accessing the information and understanding to help resolve complex natural resource problems across the

Nation and around the world

Missouri River Basin - The Basics

• Mainstem Length – 2,341 mi– 2ND longest River in the U.S.– Begins with confluence of

Madison, Gallatin, and Jefferson Rivers near Three Forks, MT

– Enters the Mississippi at St. Louis, MO

– 10 States and 2 Canadian Provinces

• Basin – 530,000 mi2

– 1/6th of the US• Elevation range - 400 to

14,000 feet

The Missouri River Basin –complexity of size

• Physiography• Climate• Hydrology

– 2011 flood• Sediment

Physiography

Photos from: http://www.panoramio.com

Norton and others, 2014

Population

• Approx. 12 million people –mostly in lower portion of Basin

• 28 native tribes

Landuse

http://water.usgs.gov/lookup/getspatial?nhd_nlcd01 29% cropland55% hay and pasture13% forest, 3% urban

28% of all farm land in the U.S.

NRCS, 2012

Climate -Temperature

Mean annual maximum temps ranged from 35 to >60 OF

Norton and others, 2014 Norton and others, 2014

Mean annual minimum temps ranged from <5 to >45 OF

Climate - Precipitation• Mean annual total precip. ranges from 14

in/yr (NW portion) to 41 in/yr (SE portion)

Norton and others, 2014

Hydrology

Norton and others, 2014

Hydrology

Norton and others, 2014

“Taming” of the Missouri River

Channelized

Reservoir - regulated

“free flowing”, unchannelized

The Yellowstone River is the longest “free flowing “ River in the U.S.

“Taming” of the Missouri River

Yellowstone

Missouri

Bismarck

Missouri River - Regulation• Approx. 100 single purpose reservoirs in the Basin• More than 1,200 multipurpose reservoirs• 6 major mainstem reservoirs

– Fort Peck (Fort Peck Dam)– Sakakawea (Garrison Dam)– Oahe (Oahe Dam)– Sharpe (Big Bend Dam)– Francis Case (Fort Randall Dam)– Lewis and Clark (Gavin’s Point Dam)

Authorized purposes: flood control, navigation, irrigation, hydropower,water supply, fish and wildlife, water quality, and recreation

Galat and others, 2005U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, 2015

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, 2015

1st Largest:Lake Meade – 28.9 MAF current -10.7 MAF

3rd largest in U.S.

4th largest in U.S.

5th largest in U.S.

Missouri River at Bismarck, NDAnnual Peak Streamflow

1930

1935

1940

1945

1950

1955

1960

1965

1970

1975

1980

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

2015

Pea

k st

ream

flow

, in

cubi

c fe

et p

er s

econ

d

0

100000

200000

300000

400000

500000

600000

Missouri River at Sioux City, IAAnnual Peak Streamflow

1930

1935

1940

1945

1950

1955

1960

1965

1970

1975

1980

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

2015

Pea

k st

ream

flow

, in

cubi

c fe

et p

er s

econ

d0

100000

200000

300000

400000

500000

600000

Dam completion

Dam completion

2011

2011

1952

1952

Peak Streamflow 500,000 cfs

150,000 cfs

441,000 cfs

192,000 cfs

Annual RunoffMissouri River at Bismarck, ND

Annual Runoff

1930

1935

1940

1945

1950

1955

1960

1965

1970

1975

1980

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

2015

Ann

ual r

unof

f, in

mill

ion

acre

-fee

t

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Missouri River at Sioux City, IAAnnual Runoff

1930

1935

1940

1945

1950

1955

1960

1965

1970

1975

1980

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

2015

Ann

ual r

unof

f, in

mill

ion

acre

-fee

t

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Mean

Mean

2011

2011

1 foot of water over entire state of ND

The Flood of 2011• Previous “ recent” floods

– 1952: caused extensive flooding in the basin prior to reservoir construction

– 1997: Last large-scale runoff in the basin since the reservoirs and highest releases from the reservoirs prior to 2011

• How was the 2011 flood different?– Surprisingly few peaks of record; volume event– Tributary contributions to mainstem in 2011 almost

always greater than 1952– 1997 runoff greater than 2011 from SD tribs– Therefore, the 2011 flood had to move water from the

upper basin through the entire reservoir system instead of runoff from the entire basin.

Vining and others, 2013

Annual RunoffMissouri River at Bismarck, ND

Annual Runoff

1930

1935

1940

1945

1950

1955

1960

1965

1970

1975

1980

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

2015

Ann

ual r

unof

f, in

mill

ion

acre

-fee

t

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Missouri River at Sioux City, IAAnnual Runoff

1930

1935

1940

1945

1950

1955

1960

1965

1970

1975

1980

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

2015

Ann

ual r

unof

f, in

mill

ion

acre

-fee

t

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Mean

Mean

2011

2011

May-July 2011 runoff34.3 MAF

Hydrology

Alexander and others, 2013

Will this happen again?

Driscoll and others, 2014

Sediment – it isn’t call the “Big Muddy” for nothing

“…The water we drink, or the common water of the missourie at this time contains half a comn wine glass of ooze or mud to every pint…”21 June 1804, William Clark

Before flood-control dams – the suspended sediment load at the mouth was approx. 320 million tons per year.

….Currently it is about 86 million tons per year

Moody and others, 2003

Sediment – it isn’t call the “Big Muddy” for nothing

• Why is sediment important?– Habitat – Delivery to Mississippi Delta– Navigation– Water supply– Reservoir capacity– Flooding, ice jams

Post-Dam Conditions:-Mature vegetation

-Sediment free water

-Stabilized Hydrograph

Complexities of the Missouri – Implications and Issues

• Sedimentation issues• Habitat loss/restoration• Endangered species• Invasive species• Upstream – downstream interests

– Navigation vs. water supply, recreation– Flood control

References• http://www.nws.noaa.gov/os/assessments/pdfs/Missouri_floods11.pdf• Holmes, R.R., Jr., Wiche, G.J., Koenig, T.A., and Sando, S.K., 2013, Peak streamflows and runoff volumes for the

Central United States, February through September, 2011: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1798–C, 60 p., http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/1798c/.

• Driscoll, D.G., Southard, R.E., Koenig, T.A., Bender, D.A., and Holmes, R. R. Jr., 2014, Annual exceedance probabilities and trends for peak streamflows and annual runoff volumes for the Central United States during the 2011 floods, U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1798–D, 89 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/pp1798D.

• Alexander, J.S., Jacobson, R.B., and Rus, D.L., 2013, Sediment transport and deposition in the lower Missouri River during the 2011 flood: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1798–F, 27 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/pp1798F

• Alexander, J.S., Wilson, R.C., and Green, W.R., 2012, A brief history and summary of the effects of river engineering

• and dams on the Mississippi River system and delta: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1375, 43 p.• Galat, D.L., Berry Jr., C.R., Peters, E.J., and White, R.G., 2005, Missouri River in Benke, A.C. and Cushing, C.E.

(eds.) Rivers of North America, Elsevier, Oxford• Norton, P.A., Anderson, M.T., and Stamm, J.F., 2014, Trends in annual, seasonal, and monthly streamflow

characteristics at 227 streamgages in the Missouri River watershed, water years 1960–2011: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2014–5053, 128 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20145053

• Vining, K.C., Chase, K.J., and Loss, G.R., 2013, General weather conditions and precipitation contributing to the 2011 flooding in the Mississippi River and Red River of the North Basins, December 2010 through July 2011: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1798–B, 22 p.

• http://water.usgs.gov/lookup/getspatial?nhd_nlcd01 • http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb1048710.pdf

Thank you! Questions?