Army Corps will increase releases from Gavins Point Dam - KTIV News 4 Sioux City IA: News, Weather and Sports

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is boosting releases from Gavins Point Dam near Yankton, South Dakota.

The temporary increase is so the corps can conduct a spillway flow test to get an idea of the current condition of the spillway.

It's part of the ongoing re-hab and damage repair from the Missouri River flood of 2011. Crews have used visual, dive and sonar tests to look at any damage done. After each test, an evaluation will be done to decide what the next step is."We understand what the condition is, and if we come across something that has been damaged that we need to repair, that's what we need to focus our efforts on," says John Bertino, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

There is no timeline on the completion of this project, but Gavins Point Dam remains operational. Right now, the release level is at 14,000 cubic feet per second. But, beginning March 18th, the Army Corps will begin to increase levels at 3,000 cfs each day until 23,500 cfs is reached.

This will help fulfill the minimum requirements for the navigation season, which begins April first.