Flathead Lake water level drawn down
Ice forms on driftwood along Somers Beach at the north end of Flathead Lake, showing the various levels at which the lake has been freezing as the pool level has been lowering. (Cindy Olmstead photo)
After plummeting more than 3 feet last month, the surface of Flathead Lake has finally reached its typical elevation for the season.
Energy Keepers, Inc., which operates Séliš Ksanka Ql’ispé Dam at the south end of the lake, drew the lake down 3.3 feet during the month of December after record-breaking fall rains kept water flowing into the lake at more than twice the normal rate.
Dam operators at the south end of Flathead Lake seasonally draw down water levels, typically keeping the surface below full pool to avoid erosion and property damage from the storms that frequent the region during the late fall and early winter months.
Slightly less than the company’s targeted drop of 4 feet, the rapid draw-down has continued into the first week of 2017, bringing Flathead Lake’s elevation in line with its historical average.
Even by the end of November, the streamflows north of the lake remained above 200 percent of the norm as rivers and streams stayed swollen following Northwest Montana’s historic rainfall in October.
As of Wednesday, the amount of water flowing into the lake had slowed to 89 percent of the historic average. A Monday update from Energy Keepers predicted average inflows at 101 percent of normal through the first month of the year.
“By the end of January, [Energy Keepers] plans to draft the lake about 3 feet for winter flood control,” the emailed update stated.
Through an agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, dam operators historically continue dropping lake levels until midway through spring, before raising the elevation to full pool by June 15 for the summer boating season.
Reporter Sam Wilson can be reached at 758-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com.