Flathead Lakers: Policy Statement on Lake Levels

Working for clean water, healthy ecosystems and lasting quality of life in the Flathead Watershed in Northwest Montana.

P.O. Box 70 | Polson, MT 59860 | 406-883-1346 | Email to Lakers

Updated 10 March 2003

Lakers Position Statement
Drought Management Plan and
Flathead Lake Levels October 4, 2001

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What the Flathead Lakers support:

• Stable, predictable, and useable (2892.5 minimum) lake levels during the recreation season (June 15 through September 30).

• Completion of an interim drought management plan by mid-October, 2001. That plan should address economic and environmental impacts, local concerns, and be based on flood rule curves that provide the highest probability of attaining both lake refill objectives and minimum flows in the lower Flathead River.

• Development, with full public disclosure, review and input, of a final drought management plan.

What the Flathead Lakers have done:

Past:

Signed the Memorandum of Understanding (written in 1962, amended in 1965 and approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in 1966) which outlines seasonal guidelines for Kerr Dam operation to manage lake levels.

Intervened in the Kerr Dam relicensing process in 1990 to ensure that an environmental impact statement would be prepared to: (1) provide FERC with the information needed to make informed decisions on dam mitigation, (2) require FERC to identify and assess a full range of alternatives for minimizing the adverse effects of the dams operations, and (3) allow the public to participate fully in a decision of vital concern

Recent:

Gathered information about lake levels and associated problems from a variety of sources throughout 2001, sharing it with members, the public, agencies, and decision makers.

Encouraged agencies, Pennsylvania Power & Light (PPL MT) and the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes(CSKT) to (1) cooperate in determining how best to manage for lake levels and river flows during this years drought, and (2) keep the public informed about what was being done and why.

Asked FERC and the Department of Interior (DOI) to allow the Flathead Lakers to participate in the development of the drought management plan (letter dated July 12, 2001).

Expressed our concerns to Senator Baucus and Senator Burns and urged them to stay involved in this issue as an interim plan is developed (ongoing communications including letters dated August 24, 2001).

Background:

During 2001, the low snowpack of the multi-year drought resulted in Flathead Basin streamflows that were not sufficient to satisfy all demands for generating electric power, maintaining and restoring healthy fisheries, irrigation, and water-based recreation and tourism. The scarcity of water initiated a contest over its allocation. That contest, complicated by conflicting and inaccurate predictions for streamflows and lake levels, would not have been necessary had the required drought management plan for Kerr Dam been in place.
A drought management plan to guide Kerr Dams operations during a drought is required by the operating license for the dam granted by FERC. Originally, the plan was to be completed by June 25, 1998 by the dams licensees, Montana Power Company (now PPL MT) and CSKT, in consultation with the Bureau of Reclamation, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. That deadline was not met. FERC then granted an extension to December 31, 2000. That deadline, too, was not met. Consequently, during a drought of historical severity, ad hoc processes controlled the allocation of scarce water.
On August 15, 2001, DOI asked FERC to approve CSKTs request for another extention, to December 31, 2002, to allow time to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement on proposed new flood rule curves for Kerr Dams operation. The new rule curves were prepared by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), at CSKTs request, to examine opportunities for maintaining higher winter lake levels during varying drought conditions. The USACE released the Flathead Lake Drought Management Study on August 10, 2001.
At an August 21, 2001 meeting in Polson, CSKT, PPL MT, and BIA informed the Flathead Lakers that an interim drought management agreement will be developed by mid-October, 2001, to direct Kerr Dam management in case of continuing drought.