Gavins Point Dam can't reduce Missouri River releases as Sioux City braces for flood

Reservoir above the dam filling faster than water released into river

The flood gates on the Gavins Point Dam have been raised to alleviate water flowing into the reservoir. (Jonathan Ellis/The Dakota Scout)

YANKTON – Communities downstream from the Gavins Point Dam were bracing for flooding Monday, as the Missouri River begins cresting this week.

Swollen from rains north of Sioux City last week, the Missouri River was expected to crest in Sioux City Monday night, said Kevin Low, who is with the National Weather Service in Kansas City. The city sits at the confluence of the Big Sioux and Missouri Rivers, and the Big Sioux saw massive flooding as several inches of rain fell over the course of three days.

John Remus, the chief of the Missouri River Basin Water Management Division, said Monday that the biggest impact from flooding will be in Sioux City, where he described “massive” flooding expected, including for some homeowners there.

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