Mountain snowpack well above average

By JIM MANN

The Daily Inter Lake

Despite a warmer-than-average January, mountain snowpacks are above historic averages across Montana and well above snow measurements in recent years.

"January continued the season's warm weather pattern, and several valley stations set record-high temperatures," said Roy Kaiser, a water supply specialist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Bozeman. "However, temperatures remained cool enough in the mountains to prevent the premature melting of mountain snowpack."

In Montana drainages leading to the Columbia River, the snowpack average at the end of January was at 5 percent above the historic average and 88 percent higher than measurements taken at the same time last year. The Kootenai River drainage was 6 percent above the historic average and 78 percent ahead of last year, while the Flathead basin was 4 percent above the historic average and 72 percent ahead of last year.

"On the first of February we should have about 60 percent of our seasonal snowpack in place and 40 percent of our main snowfall period remaining," Kaiser said. "So far, mountain snowpack is well above last year at this time."

Besides the obvious benefits to ski areas, this winter's snowfall in the mountains could have lasting benefits in the form of runoff and reservoir storage.

If the trend continues, it will present a significant turnaround for Lake Koocanusa, said Mick Shea, project superintendent at Libby Dam.

"The good-news scenario is that it gives you good prospects for refill, and that makes Lake Koocanusa users happy both in Canada and U.S. Plus, that means we have lots of fuel available for power generation," Shea said.

More storage water can have an effect on power generation costs and prices, and meet demands for various fisheries below the dam and throughout the Columbia Basin, Shea said.

"This is a multi-purpose facility, so we have to think about fisheries downstream, recreation, hydropower all of those things, not to mention endangered species," he said.

The average refill inflow for Lake Koocanusa is about 6.25 million acre feet of water.

"Since 2000, we've had one year that was above average," he said.

That year was 2002, with an inflow of 6.25 million acre feet. The low since 2000 came in 2001, with just 3.17 million acre feet.

Provided that normal precipitation occurs through July 31, the Natural Resources Conservation Service currently is projecting Montana streamflows to range between 86 percent and 101 percent of average west of the Continental Divide and between 81 percent and 99 percent of average east of the divide.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com.