Corps cancels spring rise of Missouri River

OMAHA, Neb. — Forecasts of heavy rainfall for much of the lower Missouri River basin has forced the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to cancel this weekend's planned release of extra water into the river.

The corps had originally planned a two-day pulse, beginning Saturday, to prompt spawning of the pallid sturgeon, a fish that is on the endangered species list. But the agency said that flow, combined with expected heavy rainfall, could turn into flooding downstream.

"The stream gauge information we are receiving, coupled with forecasts from the National Weather Service, indicate that our most prudent action is to eliminate the pulse in March," said Larry Cieslik, chief of the Water Management office in Omaha.

A second pulse is scheduled for May.