ND National Guard breaks up Missouri River ice jam

BISMARCK - An ice jam that was causing flood concerns on the Missouri River in Bismarck/Mandan has been broken up. Two Black Hawk helicopters from the North Dakota National Guard were used to drop massive amounts of water on the jam. The Department of Emergency Services says 116 buckets of water, each containing 5,000 lbs, were dropped on the jam south of Bismarck.  That helped break up the ice and send it down river.

Within a two-hour span, the river dropped more than two-feet. It's now below minor flood stage.