VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), increased outflow from Baldhill Dam to lower Lake Ashtabula in anticipation of more water coming in the upper Sheyenne River basin. Baldhill Dam resource manager Rich Schueneman says, at this point, the current situation is manageable.
Flood stage for the Sheyenne River in Valley City is 15 feet. Valley City public works crews have closed a few sluice gates along the river and set up water pumps just as a precaution.
The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for Valley City, effective Monday, April 25th until further notice. The Sheyenne River is expected to crest at 14.5 feet on Sunday, April 24th. The river forecast could change again depending on the amount of moisture runs off into the upper Sheyenne River basin.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is closely monitoring conditions in the Sheyenne River Basin and at Baldhill Dam.
Snow melt from the historic, late-winter storm along with rain is forecast to produce above normal stream flows. Widespread rain forecast is creating uncertain runoff conditions that the Corps is closely monitoring.
Outflows from Baldhill Dam have been increased during this week in advance of this event to create room in the reservoir for the anticipated runoff from snow and rain. Outflow will be increased today up to 3,000 cubic feet per second and will be adjusted as needed to manage runoff flowing into the reservoir. For the most up-to-date information, please refer to the forecasted lake level and releases which will be updated daily during this runoff event.
Current and historic lake levels and releases can be accessed at 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.