River runoff on rise, but corps says there's room

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials say runoff into Lake Sakakawea is projected to be higher than normal, but there is ample storage in the Missouri River reservoirs to handle the water.

The Minot Daily News reports that the corps projected earlier this month that Lake Sakakawea would peak in July at 1,845 feet. Spillway level is 1,854 feet.

The reservoir reached 1,833.69 feet early Wednesday and remained on the rise.

The lake reached the overflow point for the first time in history in 2011. Corps officials say a repeat of that is "highly unlikely," citing a combination of heavy mountain snowpack, plains snowpack and spring rains that led to the 2011 flood.

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