Zinke introduces legislation to regulate Flathead Lake water levels

U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke on Tuesday introduced legislation in Congress aimed at ensuring Flathead Lake avoids another year of abnormally low water levels.

The Fill the Lake Act would require the Department of the Interior to ensure full pool levels of Flathead Lake for most of the summer season.

“It’s a made in Montana solution,” Zinke said Nov. 14. 

The legislation would direct the secretary of the Interior to maintain Flathead Lake between 2,892 and 2,893 feet above sea level from June 15 to Sept. 15. The level would be maintained through releases of water from the Hungry Horse Reservoir, located upriver of Flathead Lake.

If passed, the measure will ensure that Flathead Lake stays at around full pool until after Labor Day, Zinke said.  

Zinke said that the legislation provides the Bureau of Reclamation, which controls the Hungry Horse Dam, with better data, using available technology to determine moisture and anticipated flows of a snowpack. One way of collecting data, Zinke said, could be through satellite imagery for moisture detection. 

By better collecting data, he said, the bureau can more accurately anticipate and prepare for different flow levels. 

“The simplest and clearest way is to utilize … the upper basin,” Zinke said. “Using the best science to keep the lake at full pool.”  

The act also requires cooperation between the operators of the Hungry Horse Dam and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, which oversee the SKQ dam on Flathead Lake, said Flathead County Commissioner Randy Brodehl, who worked on the issue with Zinke.

The legislation is the latest in a series of efforts aimed at addressing the historically low water level on Flathead Lake over the summer. 

Water-stored within the snow during the 2022-2023 season was only 80% of the long-term median, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Due to early runoff, low snowpack and intense drought, Flathead Lake reached full pool — peaking at 2,892.71 feet — on June 13, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. 

From that point forward, the lake steadily declined and naturally diminished its water sources. By Sept. 15, the lake was at 2,890.51 feet, nearly three feet below full pool.

The dip caused economic woes for local businesses that rely on activity around Flathead Lake, led to navigation concerns and irked recreationalists. Montana’s congressional delegation quickly joined local lawmakers in searching for a short term solution. One idea was to release water from the Hungry Horse Reservoir.

In mid-July, a Technical Management Team, tasked with finding a solution to the issue, opted against taking action, dampening calls to increase the flow from the upriver dam. The management team cited ecological concerns for its decision.

“Let’s be clear, the commissioner of reclamation has the authority to make the executive decision and does not need to bow to the unelected bureaucrats at the [Technical Management Team] who care more about fish than people,” Zinke said in July following the decision. “[The Bureau of Reclamation] does not lack authority. The only thing they lack is leadership.”

Zinke’s Fill the Lake Act would prove a boon for the county if passed by Congress, said Flathead County Commissioner Brad Abell. 

“The people of the Flathead are going to support this 100% because we are highly affected by lake levels,” Abell said. “... I think that we should regulate [the lake level] to benefit Flathead County.”

Reporter Kate Heston can be reached at kheston@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.