Interior Secretary Allows Dam Operators to Taper Flows to Buoy Flathead Lake Levels in July

As water levels on Flathead Lake are projected to reach historic lows, the U.S. Secretary of Interior today approved a plan allowing operators at the Séliš Ksanka Ql’ispé (SKQ) Dam in Polson to implement a 45% reduction in minimum outflows, a stopgap measure that will keep lake levels within a foot of full pool through July and temporarily hold the consequences of extreme drought at bay for boat dock users.

According to a June 13 news release from Energy Keepers, Inc. (EKI), the tribally owned power producer that oversees hydroelectric operations on the lake, the agency is working with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) to reduce license required minimum flows from 12,700 cubic feet per second (cfs) to 7,000 cfs.

“At a critical time to capture water in Flathead Lake, CSKT and EKI are implementing a solution to balance the multiple needs of the community,” according to a Friday afternoon announcement.

The reduction will result in a tradeoff that delivers less water to the lower Flathead River’s fishery and diminishes electricity production for the remaining days of June. However, those deficits will be offset in the last half of July and August with the return of water volume in the lower river, providing additional days of higher water levels in the interim. For 46 days, the lake’s surface level will be within 12 inches of full pool, and for 62 days it will be within 18 inches. Without the adjustments to the license requirements, EKI projected zero days and nine days at those same elevation ranges.

Lake elevations are still projected to decrease to nearly 3 feet below full pool by Aug. 31.

“We received approval from the Secretary of the Interior to cut our required instream flows below the usual levels,” Brian Lipscomb, CEO of EKI, said in a Friday news release. “This sacrifice is forecasted to keep lake levels within 12 inches of full pool through the end of July. This will come at a financial cost for operations during the early summer, serve the minimums of robust fisheries, and allow more boat dock users to remain viable during a busy summer season.”

Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke yesterday urged Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum to address Flathead Lake levels and called for increased water releases from the Hungry Horse Reservoir and “cooperation” from the CSKT to reduce flows, according to a June 13 press release.

“Montana is facing one of its driest seasons on record, and unless action is taken now, we’re looking at a repeat, or worse, of the water crisis on Flathead Lake,” Zinke said. “Our small businesses, farmers, ranchers, and communities cannot afford another devastating season. While releasing from Hungry Horse and reducing flow from the dam will not bring the lake to full pool, it will help prevent a catastrophic drop.”

Zinke in 2023 introduced the Fill the Lake Act when levels dropped below full pool two years ago.

According to an early June forecast, the lake was projected to reach its maximum level for the year at 2,891.9 feet around June 15 while levels were expected to drop to nearly 2 feet below pool of 2,893 feet by Fourth of July weekend and nearly 3 feet below full pool by August 31.

EKI worked with the Natural Resources Department staff of the CSKT to reach the compromise and the tribal council voted Thursday to approve the effort to seek the variance from the Interior Department.

“Under challenging situations, we applaud our staff for presenting a solution,” Council Chairman Michael Dolson said in a prepared statement. “We supported this action to be good stewards of the resources, good economic partners, and also good neighbors.”

An early spring runoff in the Flathead River basin prompted low streamflows, which was at 39% of normal snow water equivalent (SWE) levels, as of June 13. Modeling based on projections revealed a “critical situation” of low lake levels that escalated in May and early June.

Conditions have forced operations at SKQ to maintain flows at license required minimums, filling Flathead Lake as aggressively as possible while avoiding flood control limits. Despite those efforts, not enough snowpack remains to pump Flathead Lake up to full pool without an approved deviation, according to EKI officials.

While recreational boating and fishing can continue at any lake elevation with the accessible public boat ramps, lake users should be aware that lakefront boat storage and dock access may be affected if these water level forecasts are realized.

“These operational changes come with a financial and ecological sacrifice that will impact power generation at SKQ,” Lipscomb said. “We plan to make up some of that difference in August. The lake will draft beginning in August down to the original projection levels of three feet below full pool. We want everyone to know that now so they can prepare accordingly.”

Other heavily irrigated reservoirs on the Rocky Mountain Front are experiencing a deficit as a hot and dry spring continues to impact conditions. The Gibson Reservoir, an impoundment of the Sun River located south of the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area near Augusta, which is at 71% of full pool.

Willow Reservoir, also in the Sun River drainage, is 65% full and dropping, which peaked at about 8 feet below capacity.

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