Lake nears full pool

Flathead Lake is with 7 1/2 inches of refilling to full pool, and it’s expected to close in on the full level by June 15.

Kerr Dam, which regulates the lake level, is being operated based on June and July runoff forecasts, the current snowpack and current streamflows.

The June runoff forecast for the lake, prepared by the National Weather Service, is expected to be about 77 percent of average.

Current snowpack above the Flathead River Basin is 123 percent of average, and natural streamflows during May were about 62 percent of average.

Water releases at Kerr Dam have been about 30,900 cubic feet per second and the lake’s elevation was .62 feet from the full pool elevation of 2,893 feet on Friday afternoon.

A press release from PPL Montana, operator of Kerr Dam, states that the lake’s elevation is expected to be between 2,892.5 and 2,893 feet by June 15.