PPL MT press release, November 9, 2007

Representatives from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, PPL Montana, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), Bonneville Power Administration, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs conferred on November 7th regarding current and projected operation of the Kerr Project. The current outflow is about 4,600 cubic feet per second (cfs) and the lake elevation as of November 9th is 2891.00 which is 2 feet below full elevation of 2893.

The project is being operated taking into account the previous month and the current stream flows. The natural stream flows for October averaged about 78 percent of normal and flows in November to date have been about 58 percent of normal.

Based on current information, PPL Montana anticipates that inflows will be adequate to maintain the targeted elevation of 2891.0 feet by the end of November. However, the operation of the project, and in particular, decisions with respect to lake levels, are subject to constant monitoring, re-evaluation and change as weather patterns themselves may rapidly change. Weather conditions will be monitored throughout November and appropriate operational changes will be made, if necessary.

In March 2002, PPL Montana filed a drought management plan (DMP) with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior for approval. The department is currently conducting an environmental review of PPL Montana's proposal and considering alternatives. In the interim, the operation will continue to be evaluated and adjusted, as appropriate, in consultation with the parties involved and with consideration of the PPL Montana draft DMP criteria. If conditions dictate, an ad hoc consultation with the parties involved will occur prior to the next monthly call.

For more information, contact Deb Mullowney, PPL Montana, at 406-533-3508.

PPL Montana press release, October 10, 2007

Representatives from PPL Montana, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bonneville Power Administration, and the Bureau of Reclamation conferred on October 10, regarding current and projected operation of the Kerr Project. The current outflow is about 4,600 cubic feet per second (cfs) and the lake elevation, as of October 10, was 2891.17 feet, which is 1.83 feet from full elevation of 2893.0 feet. The project is being operated taking into account the previous month and the current stream flows. The natural stream flows for September averaged about 51 percent of normal and flows in October to date have been about 75 percent of normal.

Based on current information, PPL Montana anticipates that inflows will be adequate to have the lake at the planned elevation of 2891.0 feet by the end of October and remain at approximately this elevation through the end of November. However, the operation of the project, and in particular, decisions with respect to lake levels, are subject to constant monitoring, re-evaluation and change as weather patterns themselves may rapidly change. Weather conditions will be monitored throughout October and appropriate operational changes will be made, if necessary.

In March 2002, PPL Montana filed a drought management plan (DMP) with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior for approval. The department is currently conducting an environmental review of PPL Montana's proposal and considering alternatives. A final DMP has not been issued. In the interim, the operation will continue to be evaluated and adjusted, as appropriate, in consultation with the parties involved and with consideration of the PPL Montana draft DMP criteria. If conditions dictate, an ad hoc consultation with the parties involved will occur prior to the next monthly call.

For more information, contact Deb Mullowney, PPL Montana, at 406-533-3508.

KPPL MT Press Release, September 12, 2007

Representatives from PPL Montana, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation conferred on Sept. 11 regarding current and projected operation of the Kerr Project. The current outflow is about 6,150 cubic feet per second (cfs) and the lake elevation, as of Sept. 12, was 2892.30 feet, which is 0.70 feet from full elevation of 2893.0 feet.

The project is being operated taking into account the previous month and the current stream flows. The natural stream flows for August averaged about 47 percent of normal and flows in September have been about 39 percent of normal.

Based on current information, PPL Montana anticipates that reduced inflows in combination with releases required by the Pacific Northwest Coordination Agreement (PNCA) will operate to draft the lake to elevation 2891.5 feet by the end of September. This is a lower level than in previous years because the PNCA is requiring additional releases this September due to a lack of water in the Columbia River system as a whole.

The PNCA is a contractual agreement for coordination of operations among dam owners in the Pacific Northwest, including government dams, and is the mechanism by which the United States and Canada implement their treaty for Columbia River water management. When stream flows and planned storage drafts do not provide sufficient water, reservoirs may be required to undergo additional draft to provide the necessary downstream water.

At present, an additional draft of 0.50 feet is planned for October putting Flathead Lake at approximately elevation 2891.0 feet by the end of the month. By the end of December the lake is planned to be drafted to about elevation 2888.0 feet.

Webmaster’s note. The lake’s mean level for September 30, 1957–2006 is 2892.44. Graph.

However, the operation of the project, and in particular, decisions with respect to lake levels, are subject to constant monitoring, re-evaluation and change as weather patterns themselves may rapidly change. Weather conditions will be monitored throughout September and appropriate operational changes will be made, if necessary to deal with emerging drought conditions.

In March 2002, PPL Montana filed a drought management plan (DMP) with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior for approval. The department is currently conducting an environmental review of PPL Montana's proposal and considering alternatives. A final DMP has not been issued. In the interim, the operation will continue to be evaluated and adjusted, as appropriate, in consultation with the parties involved and with consideration of the PPL Montana draft DMP criteria. If conditions dictate, an ad hoc consultation with the parties involved will occur prior to the next monthly call.

For more information, contact Deb Mullowney, PPL Montana, at 406-533-3508.

March 30, 2007

This news comes as no surprise. On March 28th, PPL MT released this statement:

As of midnight on Thursday, March 29th, the lake was at 2885.65 and still rising, and Kerr Dam was discharging 14,300 cfs, close to the dam’s turbine capacity and evidence that all three generators are online. James Conner.

March 28, 2007

Flathead Lake continues to fill because the inflow of approximately 19,000 cfs is almost double the outflow from Kerr Dam of 10,800 cfs. At this lake elevation, the rate at which water can be discharged from the dam is limited by the capacity of the channel at the outlet of the lake. We’ve posted a page on channel restrictions that shows the relationship between the level of the lake and the rate of outflow.

This morning, we posted two more pages. One displays length-of-the-record information on flows and lake levels for March 26. The other displays photographs of the change in Flathead River east of Kalispell between March 17 and March 27.

— James Conner

March 27, 2007

PPL MT’s Deb Mullowney advised us this morning that inflows to the lake are higher than expected and will remain higher longer than Mullowney expected yesterday. Therefore, because of the high inflows, and channel restrictions, PPL MT may experience difficulty meeting the mid-April drawdown target of 2883–2884.

As of this morning, the lake was at 2885.25 and rising. The Flathead River at Columbia Falls was just under 20,000 cfs. The north and middle forks appear to have peaked, but are still at record levels for this date. We will monitor the situation and post updates as necessary.

— James Conner

PPL MT press release, 15 March 2007

Representatives from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, PPL Montana, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), Bonneville Power Administration, and the Bureau of Reclamation conferred on March 12 regarding current and projected operation of the Kerr Project. The current outflow is about 8,610 cubic feet per second (cfs) and the lake elevation, as of March 12, was 2884.2 feet, which is 8.8 feet from full elevation of 2893.0 feet.

The project is being operated considering the March final volume runoff forecast for the April through July period, the current snow pack and current natural stream flows. The final runoff forecast for Flathead Lake is 97 percent of average; the current snow pack is 84 percent of average for this time of year; and the current natural stream flow is about 97 percent of average.

In March 2002, PPL Montana filed a drought management plan (DMP) with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior for approval. The department is currently conducting an environmental review of PPL Montana’s proposal and considering alternatives. A final DMP has not been issued. In the interim, the operation will continue to be evaluated and adjusted, as appropriate, in consultation with the parties involved and with consideration of the PPL Montana draft DMP criteria.

PPL Montana plans to lower the reservoir to about 2883.3 feet by the end of March. However, the operation of the project, and in particular, decisions with respect to lake levels, are subject to constant monitoring and re-evaluation as the weather patterns themselves may rapidly change. If conditions dictate, an ad hoc consultation with the parties involved will occur prior to the next monthly call. For more information, contact Deb Mullowney, PPL Montana, at 406-533-3508.

PPL MT press release 14 February 2007

Representatives from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, PPL Montana, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), Bonneville Power Administration, Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Reclamation conferred on Feb. 9 regarding current and projected operation of the Kerr Project. The current outflow is about 8,750 cubic feet per second (cfs) and the lake elevation, as of Feb. 9, was 2886.36 feet, which is 6.64 feet from full elevation of 2893.0 feet.

The project is being operated considering the February final volume runoff forecast for the April through July period, the current snow pack and current natural stream flows. The final runoff forecast for Flathead Lake is 97 percent of average; the current snow pack is 83 percent of average for this time of year; and the current natural stream flow is about 104 percent of average. Weather conditions will be monitored throughout the month of February and appropriate operational changes will be made, if necessary.

In March 2002, PPL Montana filed a drought management plan (DMP) with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior for approval. The department is currently conducting an environmental review of PPL Montana's proposal and considering alternatives. A final DMP has not been issued. In the interim, the operation will continue to be evaluated and adjusted, as appropriate, in consultation with the parties involved and with consideration of the PPL Montana draft DMP criteria.

The operation of the project, and in particular, decisions with respect to lake levels, are subject to constant monitoring and re-evaluation as the weather patterns themselves may rapidly change. If conditions dictate, an ad hoc consultation with the parties involved will occur prior to the next monthly call.

For more information, contact Lance Elias, PPL Montana, at 406-533-3510.