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Kansas City District
Water Control Manual Revisions

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Description: The Flow Frequency Analysis Data is a critical update and will inform future study, action and planning for flood risk management in the Lower Missouri Basin. USACE and our partners will be able to use this updated data and information. ​​

Status: The team is finalizing the report.​

Way Ahead: The Flow Frequency Report will be uploaded once complete. Webinar on results will occur on July 19, 2023. Stage Frequency analysis can begin, which will help convert flow data measured in cubic feet per second (cfs) to stage data measured as an elevation (ft). Stage frequency analysis and reviews will take approximately two years.​

The Pomme de Terre Dam and Reservoir Water Control Manual (WCM) is a reference document. It guides day-to-day water management decisions about when and how water will be either stored or released to meet the reservoir’s congressionally authorized purposes. Referenced every day, it is especially important during high water events and drought. But conditions throuoghout the Pomme de Terre River watershed have changed since the current WCM was approved in 1971, so it’s time for an update.  We want your input to be sure we are considering all the issues while we make these updates.

This project will extend over four years. During this time, USACE will update engineering information, run computer models, conduct and draft an Environmental Assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This information will be used to update Water Control Manual. USACE will seek input from the public and all stakeholders at at regular times throughout the study. 

Circumstances prompting this update include changes in land use and population upstream and downstream of the reservoir, changes in the Pomme de Terre River below the dam, and advancements in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers national guidance, and the need to ensure that dam releases address both high and low flow conditions.

Updating the water control manual will:

  • Improve water control plan rules used to govern the release of water from the flood control storage pool during flood conditions
  • Plan for periods of drought and improve the rules that the water control plan uses to govern the potential release of water from the multipurpose pool during drought periods
  • Provide operational flexibility for managing pool levels and releases in order to better balance all authorized purposes of the dam and reservoir
  • Potentially improve the lake’s coordinated releases with other lake projects in the greater Osage River Basin
  • Enable USACE to address current stakeholder concerns and more effectively manage the lake in the future

What is NEPA?

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is the nation’s charter for protecting the environment. NEPA does not prescribe specific outcomes but requires federal decision makers to take a hard look at the potential effect(s) on the environment as a result of federal action. It also requires that the public and other stakeholders have the opportunity to comment on the federal agency’s effects analysis and consideration of reasonable alternatives. This includes discussion with federal and state agencies and consderation of all applicable federal and state laws. The Council on Environmental Quality has published the informational Citizen’s Guide to NEPA to assist the public and stakeholders in understanding the environmental review process and to participate effectively in providing comments.

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