Flathead Lake on slow refill cycle

Flathead Lake is starting a slow refill, with a steady reduction in outflows at Kerr Dam and an outlook for below-average inflows.

On March 10, the lake’s elevation was at 2,884 feet, about 8 feet from full pool, and that’s still what the lake level was on Friday.

But since March 10, Kerr Dam water releases into the Lower Flathead River have been decreased from 5,000 cubic feet per second to 4,000 cfs. Flows eventually could be dropped to a minimum of about 3,500 cfs.

Mountain snowpack above the Flathead Basin is just 69 percent of average. The dam will be operated by PPL Montana to account for streamflow forecasts through July.

“Due to the current low snowpack, PPL anticipates that, unless circumstances change in the near future, the lake may not be drafted much deeper this year,” the company stated in an early March press release.

“The current projected runoff appears likely to provide the necessary inflow for the lake to refill, although the projection is subject to weather contingencies that affect how rapidly the snow pack melts.”

The goal is to reach to the full pool elevation of 2,893 feet by mid-June.