Glasgow, Mont. ? More than 100 residents, business owners and political representatives have asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to hold more Missouri River water upstream to keep Montana businesses afloat.

“People here are going out of business,” said Bill Harris, owner of Crooked Creek Marina north of Winnett. “They’re suffering terribly.”

Harris was one of several speaking at a public meeting the corps called as it seeks public comment on its latest draft of an annual operating plan for the river. Harris said there was no compromise in the corps’ master manual for the Missouri River system and wasn’t sympathetic to downstream states’ call for increased flows.

“All they get in the lower states is a shorter barge season,” he said. “Here, we go out of business completely.”

River levels have been a point of contention for years between downstream states such as Missouri and upstream states such as South Dakota. When reservoir levels drop, it can hurt the recreation and fishing industries of upstream states. But when the corps holds back more water for the lakes, it can hurt the downstream barge industry and potentially affect river intakes for drinking water systems and power plants.

Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., sent a statement through a spokesman that raised the possibility of delayed corps funding if the agency didn’t do a better job of protecting Montana’s interests.

“We’re tired,” said Jack Foley, who delivered the Baucus statement. “We’re frustrated. Dramatic action needs to be taken to protect what little water remains.”