Hoeven, River Advocates Meet With Army Corps Officials To Press For More Drought Conservation

Hoeven, River Advocates Meet With Army Corps Officials To Press For More Drought Conservation

BISMARCK, N.D. - Gov. John Hoeven, along with members of Friends of Lake Sakakawea and Voices of Oahe, urged U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials to take steps to hold lake levels stable on Lakes Sakakawea and Oahe. Hoeven arranged for Larry Cieslik, deputy director of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Northwestern Division, and other Corps officials to come to North Dakota to take a tour and see firsthand the effects of low lake levels.

"The harmful impact of current reservoir management on municipal water supplies, agriculture, recreation, business and fisheries is clearly evident," Hoeven said. "We need better water conservation in the entire basin, and better management of low water conditions, including better access, better weed control, and better planning for drought conditions in the future."

Hoeven also arranged a meeting and public forum for Cieslik and other Corps officials, so that they could hear about the impact of low water levels directly from residents. The meeting followed a visit to the lake shore at Fort Stevenson State Park's marina, which is currently unusable due to low lake levels.

"We have seen a significant reduction in lake area and volume, seriously challenging our recreational fisheries," said North Dakota Game and Fish Director Terry Steinwand. "A significant reduction of the navigation season and the retention of more water upstream are essential to maintain the health of this valuable resource for our state."

Hoeven and the group called for several specific actions:

* Suspend targeted releases when barges are not moving on the lower Missouri.
* Plan for continued extreme drought conditions, including prevention of municipal water supply interruptions.
* Protect cold water habitat by continuing daily flow cycling and discharging the majority of the water through the modified penstocks. Efforts should commence on a permanent fix to the intake structure to preserve cold water habitat.
* Provide additional funding for lake access. The Omaha staff should work cooperatively with Upper Basin states to secure funding in the Corps' budget to allow COE assistance for state and local access ramps on the large lakes. The majority of ramps on Lake Sakakawea are currently non-COE owned.
* Inventory access issues this fall on both lakes. Establish a funding plan to be put into the Corps' budget, which is based on projected access needs for the spring of 2007.
* Control noxious weeds. Increase funding for control of noxious weeds on Corps lands on Lakes Sakakawea and Oahe. Canada Thistle and wormwood are major weeds. Salt Cedar is on the rise on the shoreline and needs to be kept in check. Salt Cedar was first detected in North Dakota on Lake Sakakawea.
* Redirect to the state federal funds for the Fort Stevenson State Park Marina, which are currently delayed because of higher projected costs by the Corps. The State of North Dakota could construct the project for half the Corps' estimated $11 million cost.

Hoeven is also organizing a letter from Missouri River Basin governors to congressional and Corps leaders urging stronger drought conservation measures throughout the basin to save water for the mutual benefit of all states. It also asks Congress to revisit the 62-year-old Flood Control Act of 1944 to reflect the changed economic and environmental priorities of the basin.

http://www.governor.state.nd.us/media/news-releases/2006/08/060824.html