Posted on August 24, 2021
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is closely monitoring water levels at its Lac qui Parle reservoir, near Watson, Minnesota. Below average precipitation and drought conditions continue to impact the reservoir level and discharge.
Lac qui Parle reservoir is currently at a pool elevation of 933.3 feet and is releasing the minimum flow of 20 cubic feet per second. The summer target range is 933.0 ± 0.2 feet, which is the level maintained for water supply, environmental and recreational benefits. The St. Paul District received approval from the Mississippi Valley Division to attempt to raise the pool to the winter target level (934.0 ± 0.2 feet) beginning August 13, which is a few weeks earlier than normal. However, water coming into the lake and evaporation is currently equal to or greater than the amount of water the Corps is releasing, and the pool level is steady or falling. The Corps will store any runoff that the lake receives until the winter target level is reached.
Current and historical lake levels and releases can be accessed at www.mvp-wc.usace.amry.mil or https://water.usace.army.mil. Forecasted lake levels and releases are updated weekly at www.mvp-wc.usace.army.mil. All Corps reservoirs are operated in accordance with detailed water control manuals to ensure the system performs as designed.
