Zinke asks for more water for Flathead Lake

Flathead Lake’s low water level this summer has drawn the attention of Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke, who called the situation an “oncoming crisis.”

Zinke and fellow Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines are lobbying the Bureau of Reclamation to release water from Hungry Horse Reservoir to bring Flathead Lake to its typical summer water elevation.

A water expert advising Zinke told the Hungry Horse News that the reservoir would have to be lowered about 3 to 4 feet to make up for the low water levels in Flathead Lake.

He noted that Flathead Lake is primarily private land, while the reservoir is public. Low levels at private docks can make docking, or even launching, boats difficult.

Due to an early melt out of Northwest Montana’s mountain snowpack, Flathead Lake’s level has been on the decline since it peaked June 12. Without substantial rain, the lake could dip nearly 2 feet below full pool this summer, according to Energy Keepers, the Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribes corporation that operates the SKQ Dam in Polson. July streamflows are anticipated to be just 36% of average.

In a letter to Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton, Zinke and Daines argue that such a drastic drop would affect the lake environment, regional economy and pose a safety hazard.

“The lower water level will result in decreased tourism and risk to docks and infrastructure surrounding Flathead Lake as well as increased safety hazards from previously submerged rocks and obstacles for boaters,” the letter stated.

In asking for increased flows from Hungry Horse Reservoir, the letter notes that a similar action was taken in 2001 when the bureau released water from the reservoir to aid salmon flows on the Columbia River system, “thus partially mitigating the drop in Flathead lake water levels.”

Zinke said that decision set a precedent.

“I’m urging the commissioner to use that authority and take action now to prevent irreversible damage to the greater Flathead Lake community,” the congressman from Whitefish said in a press statement.

Hungry Horse Reservoir’s water level, which is controlled by the Hungry Horse Dam, has increased throughout June and was at 3,553 feet last week, according to USGS data, which is about 5 feet lower than it was on the same date in 2022.

Water released from the reservoir enters the South Fork of the Flathead River and flows into the main Flathead River, which dumps into Flathead Lake between Somers and Bigfork.