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