Corps: Missouri River reservoirs ready for runoff

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the Missouri River reservoirs have begun the spring runoff season with slightly more space than the normal amount for flood control storage.

The corps says that as of Thursday, the system storage had an extra 300,000 acre-feet of storage.

Runoff is expected to be near normal this year.

Corps officials say the reservoirs were at desired levels last spring, but a late buildup of snow in the Rockies and heavy rains in Montana and other upstream areas in May led to record runoff. The corps was forced to release massive amounts of water from the dams, causing record flooding downstream.

The more than 2,300-mile-long river flows from Montana through North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and Missouri.