Statewide Iowa — Due to low runoff into the Missouri River basin, the U-S Army Corps of Engineers predicts power production from the six main stem dams will be about 77-percent of normal this year.
Electricity from the dams is distributed through the Western Area Power Administration, where spokeswoman Lisa Meiman says despite the hydropower shortage, they will meet power demand.
Meiman says they normally need to add to their power portfolio, buying some power every year because the capacity doesn’t always meet customer needs.
Meiman says they supply power to many rural customers, serving primarily municipalities, rural electric co-ops, irrigation districts, Native American tribes and state and federal agencies.
The hydropower is supplied to Montana, North and South Dakota and parts of Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska.
