Echo Lake homeowner loses shoreline, protects home

Black tarps line the edge of the Hanson property on Echo Lake. They have sandbags stacked up on top of them and lake water laps up against them.

The concrete steps leading down to where the edge of the lake used to be are completely covered in water. Some of the tarps are lax against the bank, as the shoreline they were protecting has fallen into the lake.

And every time a boat speeds through the 200-foot from shore no-wake zone, the waves from its wake threaten the basement level of their house.

“It’s not that we don’t want anybody to come out here, we just want them to be respectful,” said Bre Hanson. “I don’t know why they would want to water ski out here anyway, there’s too many obstacles.”

Hanson said boats speeding in the middle of the lake do leave wakes that ripple into her shoreline, but it’s nothing like when they speed through the bay directly in front of her house.

The bay she lives in is lined with waterfront properties whose backyards erode into the lake with every wave that laps against it. The 200-foot no-wake warning buoys sit out near an island that separates their bay from the rest of the lake.

Last summer the Hanson’s basement, which has glass doors that open out to the lake front, was flooded a couple of inches deep. But last summer, Echo Lake was declared a no-wake lake because of health hazards.

Fish, Wildlife and Parks implemented a no-wake order for watercrafts on Echo Lake for most of last summer. The order was to prevent damage to the shoreline and structures around the lake, and because of concerns about water contamination caused by flooding of septic systems and drain fields.

The lake level rose last year because of a record-late melting snowpack. Heavy rainfall, spring mountain runoff and the natural springs that feed Echo Lake are contributing to the high water levels this year. Echo Lake has no outlet to drain excess water.

At a June 27 meeting with Flathead County commissioners, FWP discussed the lake’s level, potential for damage and what steps would have to be taken to halt water activities. During that meeting FWP regional supervisor for region one, Jim Satterfield, said if the Flathead City-County Health Department makes recommendations to implement a no-wake order on the water then chances are FWP will concur.

He also said that on some lakes in Montana, rules have been implemented that set a no-wake order into effect immediately if the water level rises to a certain point.

If local leaders want to consider such an option for Echo Lake, the issue could be addressed by the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission, Satterfield said

The Flathead County Public Health Department performed tests on the lake July 18, and determined there was no significant risk to human health. FWP communication and education program manager John Fraley said the law is pretty clear about when a no-wake zone can be declared.

“It’s gotta be a health and human risk,” Fraley said.

The lake’s level is not rising anymore, Fraley said, but the lake level is still higher than normal.

The 200-foot no-wake from shore is in effect, and while FWP does patrol the lake and is giving out tickets, it’s hard to catch people who ignore the order.

“We ask people to voluntarily control their wake so that they don’t erode the shoreline further,” Fraley said. “You know, you treat your neighbor as you want to be treated.”

Hanson’s neighbor, Jan Lord, agrees. She has a waterline on her property from last year and has watched the lake level this year rise to greet it.

“If people would just stay to the 200 no-wake zone, and they don’t,” Lord said. “It just makes me upset, because I look at the shoreline and I look at my neighbor. These people are inconsiderate.”