Leaders to discuss plan for lake levels during drought

by David Reese Bigfork Eagle
| August 7, 2015 9:10 AM

Business and civic leaders from around Flathead Lake will meet in Polson Friday to discuss the importance of having Flathead Lake kept at full pool in the summer.

This year, Flathead Lake has been down about one foot below full pool due to drought conditions in northwest Montana. Leaders from Polson and Bigfork will meet at Ridgewater to consider a plan for next year, in case drought persists.

Wayne Schile, president of SHORE, an organization working to maintain Flathead Lake levels, said the meeting may help bring about a plan to shift water from Hungry Horse Reservoir on the South Fork of the Flathead River, into the Flathead River and Flathead Lake.

“Who knows what next year will look like,” he said. “We need to collectively recognize the impact of the lake level on businesses.”

The meeting is at noon in the conference room at Black Mountain Software.

Kerr Dam will reduce outflows of the Flathead River to 3,300 feet per second — almost a record low flow — in order to maintain Flathead Lake water level through August.

Representatives from NorthWestern Energy, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Energy Keepers, Inc., the Bureau of Reclamation, and Bonneville Power Administration met July 16 regarding operation of the Kerr Dam. The current outflow is about 4,900 cubic feet per second and the lake elevation, as of July 23, was 2,892.19 feet, which is 0.81 feet from full elevation of 2,893 feet.

On June 24 NorthWestern Energy filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the U.S. Department of the Interior a request for a variance from the minimum flow requirements of the Kerr Project license. NorthWestern Energy was granted the variance on July 2. The minimum flows from Kerr Dam have been reduced throughout July in order to maintain a Flathead Lake elevation of no less than 2,892 feet. Flow decreases below Kerr of 200 cubic feet per second each day will continue through the end of July, resulting in an estimated outflow of approximately 3,300 cubic feet per second on July 31. The dam is having to reduce its output because of lower water level coming into Flathead Lake. The natural stream flow for the month of June averaged 55 percent of normal and has only averaged 40 percent of normal in July. The forecast for natural stream flow into Flathead Lake issued July 22 by the River Forecast Center for July through September is 42 percent of average. NorthWestern Energy estimates that a Flathead Lake elevation of 2,892 feet or slightly higher will be maintained throughout July and August.