Gravel beach plan aims to mitigate shoreline erosion on Flathead Lake
A visitor walks along the gravel shoreline at Somers Beach State Park on Tuesday, March 4. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
State parks officials are fast-tracking plans to install more gravel beaches around Flathead Lake as part of ongoing efforts to combat shoreline erosion.
Pebbled beaches are the norm for much of Flathead Lake’s natural shoreline, but a combination of high summer water levels and frequent storms have cut much of the lakeshore into a jigsaw of steep banks and exposed roots. Now, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is seeking preemptive approval to recreate natural shoreline conditions at over a dozen parcels of state-managed land.
About 3.5 miles of Flathead Lake’s shoreline have already been converted using what officials call a “dynamic gravel beach” design. Cobble, ranging in size from pea-sized gravel to 6-inch rocks, is spread across the shore at the lake’s high-water line. Unlike storm walls and riprap, the gravel moves as waves roll into shore, absorbing the water’s energy and motion.
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