Echo Lake water levels rise to causeway

Water levels continue to rise on Echo Lake and boaters are urged to safely and respectfully recreate on the lake.

Echo Lake has risen approximately 1 foot in the last two weeks. The water level June 27 was 1.3 feet below the lowest point of the causeway road.

Lee Anderson, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region One Warden Captain, reminded boaters that the standard no-wake rule (200 feet from the shoreline) remains in place on Echo Lake.

“As water levels continue to rise, it’s important for anyone using the lake to be good neighbors and try to minimize the impact from boat wakes on the shoreline,” Anderson said. “Keeping a safe distance from the shore will help protect public and private property.”

Located about 3 miles northeast of Bigfork, Echo Lake is a popular recreational lake that covers more than 695 acres. It is largely fed by groundwater and does not have an outlet. Historically, the lake levels have continued to rise into July and sometimes early August.

In the past, Anderson said if boaters see their waves are damaging the shore even while following that rule, they should consider moving to larger areas on the lake or to another lake in the Flathead Valley until the water level decreases.

Anderson said the water level varies each year. He told the Daily Inter Lake last year that when he arrived to the Flathead in the late 1990s, officials were looking for ways to divert more water into the lake. By 2011, record snowpack paired with a lot of rain caused the lake to hit a water level higher than ever recorded.