Energy Keepers predicts lake won't reach full pool

At Seli'š Ksanka Qlispe' Dam, the Flathead River seeps beneath floodgates, and slides quietly down the concrete face to the riverbed below – an entirely different scene from the usual springtime tumult when runoff from the Flathead basin gushes downstream.

It’s eerily reminiscent of 2023, the last time in recent history that unseasonably warm weather and lower-than-normal spring precipitation hastened runoff and left the lake less than full for the duration of the summer.

Brian Lipscomb, CEO of Energy Keepers, the corporation that runs the tribally-owned dam, announced last Thursday that the lake would fall short of its full pool of 2,893 feet this summer. After five days of continuing hot weather, the forecast had become even more dire by Monday.

The latest report, released Monday afternoon by Energy Keepers, predicts that the lake will reach its maximum level for the year near June 15, at around 2,891.9 feet – a full foot under full pool of 2,893. At that point, the volume of water flowing into the lake from the Middle Fork and North Fork of the Flathead River is expected to dip below the dam’s minimum outflow requirement – an amount that federal agencies, in concert with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, say is needed to protect downstream fisheries, especially for the endangered bull trout.

Unless the outlook for precipitation improves, the lake level could continue to drop an additional foot by the Fourth of July weekend, and may settle at three feet under full pool in August.

“These three years combined will be the driest consecutive years recorded for the Flathead Basin since 1949,” Lipscomb said. He points out that the lake’s two main tributaries, the Middle Fork and the North Fork basins, are currently running at 50% of normal flows.

However, the biggest driver of the inability to fill the lake is spring precipitation, and dry conditions are expected to continue at least for the next 10 days.

The dam operators began to strategize with the Army Corps of Engineers, which operates Hungry Horse Dam, in March. They sought permission from federal partners to not lower the lake to minimum pool of 2,883 feet – which typically happens each spring to accommodate runoff and help prevent flooding. Instead, it was lowered to around 2,885 feet, and allowed to fill from there.

The Army Corps approved this “deviation request,” allowing Energy Keepers to capture “as much runoff as possible” in the lake. “These actions protect lower Flathead River minimum flows while filling Flathead Lake as early as possible,” Lipscomb said.

By May 26, the lake level was within three feet of full pool and dam operators essentially turned down the spigot, allowing minimum flows to trickle through the dam while the lake continued to fill.

By Tuesday, it was at 2891.75 feet.

“My advice to folks is enjoy the lake now. It's most likely hitting its high point right now, and everything's accessible,” he said. Although it’s more than a foot beneath full pool, “everybody's docks and boat storage should be usable.”

However, as summertime continues, he advises boat owners and recreationists to keep a close eye on the lake “as it continues to recede.”

Repeat of 2023?

Two summers ago, this same situation came as a shock to many tourists, recreationists and lakeshore property owners.

Wayne Schile, who owns property on the lake, established SHORE in 2001. The organization’s mission is to keep Flathead Lake at full pool from June 15-Sept. 15. He was at the forefront of efforts to rally the Congressional delegation and Gov. Greg Gianforte to intervene on behalf of those businesses and individuals who benefit from keeping the lake full, with mixed results.

U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke reintroduced the Fill the Lake Act early this legislative session. The bill, which proposes keeping Flathead Lake’s water level between 2,892 and 2,893 feet between June 15 and Sept. 15, has yet to be scheduled for a hearing.

On the state level, Sen. Matt Regier, R-Kalispell, successfully carried a resolution in the Legislature, asking federal officials to “ensure that recreation needs [on Flathead Lake] be measured fairly compared to hydropower, fish and irrigation demands.”

Meanwhile, Schile contends that Energy Keepers has mismanaged the dam in order to make more money from hydroelectric generation. He’s also suggested that water could be pulled from Hungry Horse Reservoir, which is filled by the South Fork of the Flathead River, to hoist the level of Flathead Lake during low-water years.

Hungry Horse, managed by the Army Corp of Engineers, is currently at 3550.81 feet, about nine feet below full pool of 3,560. Providing one foot of water to Flathead Lake would require drawing five feet from Hungry Horse, which wasn’t viewed as a viable solution in 2023.

As to charges that Energy Keepers has prioritized electricity generation over the lake level, Lipscomb points out that 2025 marks “the third year in a row that EKI has generated significantly less than average amounts of electricity from the SKQ project.” He says generation is 10%-12% below normal.

“Of course, we’re not happy about this,” he said. “But the best we can do is keep people educated.”

He encouraged those with a vested interest in the lake level to monitor the forecast data available at energykeepersinc.com.