PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - A ninth year of drought in parts of the Dakotas and Montana will result in less water available for downstream navigation, electrical generation and other Missouri River uses, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials say.

The comment came as corps officials explained their annual plan for operation of the six dams on the waterway.

John Cooper, former state Game, Fish and Parks secretary, said the plan does not adequately meet South Dakota's water needs. Cooper, who now works on Missouri River issues for Gov. Mike Rounds, faults the corps for continuing to follow operational procedures under the 1944 Flood Control Act.

The decades-old act should be changed by Congress to meet modern-day needs, Cooper said.