Corps takes comments on James flooding

ABERDEEN, S.D. (AP) — The Army Corps of Engineers says high water on the James River will continue through June — or through August — depending on how quickly it releases water from the Pipestem Dam in North Dakota.

Corps official Tim Temeyer said rapid discharges from the dam near Jamestown will have to continue for two weeks to keep water from going over the spillway.

After that, the corps can reduce the release rate, if that’s what people and road officials want. Either way holds risks, he told about 50 people at a public meeting Wednesday on area flooding.

If a lower rate is chosen, floodwaters will continue to roll slowly through Brown County until the end of August, compared to the end of June at a faster rate, Temeyer said.

If the water comes slowly through August, flooded land might not be fit for farming in 2010 because the land likely will go into autumn still flooded or fully saturated, he said.

It’s possible some flooded land might be able to produce crops this year if releases end in June, Temeyer said.

Farmers who spoke at the meeting said it’s unlikely they’ll plant crops this year on land that’s under water now, regardless of what the corps decides.

The consensus among those who spoke: Release the water slowly enough so that roads can be above water. That would prevent further damage to roads, even though it would delay farm land drying up, they said.

A quick release now through June would only inflict more damage on roads, they said.

Flooding this spring on the James is unprecedented, Temeyer said. After the winter of 1996-97, the Corps released 400,000 acre-feet of water from Jamestown. That was the record until this spring, when the corps expects to release 600,000 acre-feet, he said.

An acre-foot is the amount of water it takes to cover an acre of land to a depth of 1 foot.

Some members in the audience asked Temeyer why the corps didn’t release more water from Pipestem during January and February to make room for the snow melt.

Some landowners object to winter releases because it can result in ice jams that in turn cause flooding, Temeyer said. Also, in January and February, the Corps had no idea that spring blizzards would pound North Dakota and add to the snow pack.

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