As heat rises, water use soars

Northwest Montana officially entered “severe drought” status on Thursday as local water districts are recording record demand while rivers and streams are flowing at rates normally seen at the end of summer.

The U.S. Drought Monitor, a publication supported by federal agencies and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, made the drought determination Thursday.

That’s not news to Flathead Valley water districts that have seen water use skyrocket during the hottest and sixth-driest June in recorded history.

Evergreen Water and Sewer District General Manager Roberta Struck said water demand was far and away the highest it’s ever been for June. The Flathead Valley through Friday had gone 30 straight days without measurable rainfall at Glacier Park International Airport, the official recording station for the National Weather Service.

Customers in the Evergreen district used 119 million gallons of water; average June water use is 65 million gallons.

“We had people start irrigating really early this year, in April and May,” Struck said, adding that irrigation normally doesn’t begin until late May or June. “Our only concern would be, we have the water and it’s there, it’s just getting it out into the bluff sometimes to fulfill the extreme demand when it gets this hot.”

She said the utility is working to get a new booster pump online that will ensure irrigation and other private water use can be met along with emergency situations such as fires.

For Kalispell, Public Works Director Susie Turner said she didn’t have all the historical data available but she expected that June set a record for water withdrawals.

Single-day water use in Kalispell peaked at 9.6 million gallons and averaged more than 6.8 million gallons a day during June. Both measures represent more than a 50 percent increase over any of the previous three years.

“It’s such an odd month to have so much production at this time,” Turner said. “In August, on a hot day, we might have a peak of 10 million [gallons].”

City Manager Doug Russell said Thursday the city was wasn’t having any problems meeting demand.

“I imagine the demand is probably the highest we’ll see, based on the extended heat, and we’ve been able to meet it up to this point,” Russell said. “Right now, all we’re looking at is are the tanks recovering throughout the day, and so far they are.”

The Whitefish water treatment plant didn’t have any data available on recent or historical water use, but chief plant operator Dee Benbrook said that based on her daily observations of water demand, the total water withdrawals in June would have been more typical of July or August numbers.

Mark Svoboda, a climatologist who co-authors the weekly drought report, said a severe drought is generally classified as one seen only once every 10 years, based on historical data.

“It’s a combination of objective, scientific indicators combined with people giving us input on the ground,” he said. “We monitor all aspects of the water cycle; everything from rainfall to temperatures, groundwater, streamflows [and] snowpack.”

The nationwide publication also works with state agencies, who provide detailed indices including surface water supply index, which takes into account impacts to fisheries, forests and wildlife, along with water deliveries and reservoir levels.

Flathead Lake is feeling the effects of the drought.

Officials with NorthWestern Energy, the operator of Kerr Dam, are weighing their options as the lake’s elevation slips below its typical summer surface levels. The dam’s license requires a Flathead Lake water elevation of 2,893 feet through summer to accommodate recreation, but dwindling flows of water from the Flathead River Basin are insufficient to maintain full pool in the lake.

The lake level was at 2,892.3 on Friday, down from 2,892.6 a week earlier.

A press release from NorthWestern Energy stated that the utility has implemented a drought management plan to reduce the target elevation by one foot. The operators may try to obtain either a permit variance to lower the rate of water flowing out of the dam or request more water from Hungry Horse Dam to supplement flows into Flathead Lake.

The license also requires a minimum flow of 11,000 cubic feet per second coming out of Kerr Dam for downstream habitat protection. The main Flathead River gauge upstream at Columbia Falls was registering 7,040 cubic feet per second on Friday.

Water concerns have extended as far as Glacier National Park.

Glacier National Park spokeswoman Denise Germann said hikers and campers in the park should take the lack of water into consideration.

“Many folks in the backcountry rely on creeks and streams for their water sources, and what we’re seeing is many of the water levels are much lower than normal for this time of year,” Germann said. “Visitors are reminded to be prepared, and that includes water availability.”

Reporter Samuel Wilson can be reached at 758-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com.