Flathead Lake already within a foot of full pool
SKQ Dam, southwest of Polson, had seven of its 13 gates open Sunday to keep the lake from filling too quickly. The resulting froth captured a rainbow. (Kristi Niemeyer/Leader)
Looking for a breathtaking view? Head down the stone steps to the overlook above Séliš Ksanka Ql̓ispé Dam southwest of Polson. But be prepared for a breath-stealing walk back up.
On Sunday, seven of the dams 13 gates were open, creating a spectacle of froth and foam at the bottom of the 204-foot-high impoundment that spans the Flathead River.
Due to recent rains, plus warm temperatures earlier in the month, Energy Keepers Inc, which operates the dam owned by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, has already filled Flathead Lake to within a foot of full pool. Measurements posted Tuesday put the lake level at 2,892.37 feet; full pool is 2,893.
According to Eve James, director for asset optimization for Energy Keepers, they’ve been working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the federal agency that oversees the hydroelectric system in the Columbia Basin and local flood-risk requirements, to coordinate an early refill of the lake.
“Flood risk management requirements are still in place through Memorial Day and then the lake will be able to refill the last half foot,” she wrote in an email Monday. “Because the inflows into the lake are higher than the flow capacity of the generators, spill gates are open to keep the lake from filling above the flood-risk management requirements.”
Historically, the lake reaches full pool by mid-June.
James says that unlike 2025, when Energy Keepers secured temporary changes to federal instream flow requirements in order to fill the lake, current streamflow forecasts indicate managers will be able to meet those minimum in-stream flows below the dam.
In December, an “atmospheric river” brought unusually high moisture to the Flathead Basin, causing the lake level to increase to 2,892 feet in early January – about four feet higher than normal. Drier conditions in January and February brought the lake level down to around 2,888 feet by March 1.
High temperatures and above normal precipitation again pummeled the area in March causing runoff conditions that began refilling the lake sooner than usual.
Energy Keepers and the Army Corps of Engineers have worked together to “adapt to conditions as they occurred” in order to limit flood risk and raise the lake level to meet summer recreation and irrigation needs.
“This year refill occurred earlier than typical,” wrote James.
She noted outflows from the dam and Flathead Lake’s elevation “depend on many variables including lake inflows, weather, the demand for electricity, and non-power constraints such as the downstream fishery and flood risk management needs.”
During the summer months, she advises those planning to recreate on the lake and river to check the Energy Keepers website, energykeepersinc.com, for updates on elevation projections and outflows, which can dramatically affect water levels below the dam.