The Army Corps of Engineers, the lead agency on management of the Missouri River, has found itself in a tight spot as two federal judges have issued conflicting opinions as to what the Corps is supposed to do. A court in Nebraska says the Corps must release water from dams in the Dakotas to meet minimum navigation flows downstream. A judge in Washington, D.C., says those flows must be restricted for some endangered species and that federal judge is holding the Army in contempt of court for continuing to release water. The Corps’ new commander for the district including the Missouri River is General William Grisoli who says the Corps will continue to release the water, despite the contempt of court and threats of more punishment, until he gets different orders from the Penatgon.
