The US Army Corp of Engineers is in the process of releasing extra water from James River reservoirs in North Dakota to handle excessive rainfall from earlier this month. However the effects downstream in South Dakota will be minimal according to National Weather Service Hydrologist Mike Gillespie…
Gillespie says the recent information from the Corps of Engineers regarding the releases from the Pipestem and Jamestown reservoirs has been taken into account with the weather services current projections as to when the James will eventually drop below flood stage….
[audio:http://prprt.itmwpb.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/688/2011/08/nodakjames2.mp3|titles=nodakjames2]The Columbia gauging station would likely see a rise of a six inches to a foot with releases of 800 to 1200 more cubic feet per second. Increases at other locations would be less than six inches Releases at Jamestown and Pipestem could go as high as 24-hundred c-f-s. A release of 24-hundred c-f-s at Jamestown would require the installation of emergency levees to contain the river.