New forecast sinks summer lake level to historic low
Laurel Sugden paddleboards with her dog Quka along the shore of the Wayfarers Unit of Flathead Lake State Park in Bigfork on Wednesday, June 28. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead Lake may fall as much as three feet below full pool by August.
Last week, Energy Keepers predicted that the lake would reach a maximum level of 2,892.3 feet by mid-June, but the most recent forecast drops that estimate to 2,891.9 feet. The water level is expected to continue to decline to 2,891 feet by July 4 and to 2,890 feet by August. Full pool is typically 2,983 feet between June 15 and Sept. 15.
“Unseasonably warm and dry conditions continue to significantly decrease water supply in the Flathead River Basin, and spring runoff is quickly receding, bringing river flows to extremely low levels,” states a June 10 press release from Energy Keepers Inc., the entity that manages the SKQ dam at the southern end of Flathead Lake.
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