Montana Reservoirs Lowered To Help Columbia’s Salmon

Hungry Horse Reservoir is dropping by about 8 inches a day as managers release water from Montana’s two federal dams to help endangered Columbia River salmon downstream.

However, local dam operators say they aren’t sure just how far Lake Koocanusa and Hungry Horse will go in the latest drawdown.

Hungry Horse Reservoir, on the South Fork of the Flathead River, is now 3 feet below full pool. It was practically full at the end of July and is now going down about 8 inches a day, said project Superintendent Ralph Carter.

Carter said the fate of Hungry Horse Reservoir depends on how much water is flowing elsewhere in the Columbia Basin. The maximum the reservoir could come down in the late summer is 20 feet, he said.

“We are hoping for less than that,” he said. “It essentially is up to Mother Nature.”

Hungry Horse is releasing about 8,500 cubic feet per second on average over the weekend and 9,500 during the week.

Steve Zettel, power plant operator at Libby Dam, said that dam is releasing about 12,000 cfs. But he said it would be hard to predict what that means for Lake Koocanusa. The reservoir is about 4-1/2 feet below full pool.

While about 10,000 cfs flows into Lake Koocanusa this time of year, dam operators are releasing about 12,000 cfs. The reservoir is “very, very slowly trending downward.”

Gov. Marc Racicot filed a federal court lawsuit in June in an effort to force federal dam operators to keep water in Montana reservoirs longer.

“There is a dispute about whether these downstream salmon really benefit from flows provided by deep drawdowns at Hungry Horse and Libby reservoirs, but there is no dispute about the damage done to Montana’s fish and wildlife as a result,” Racicot said when the suit was filed.

Critics say the releases have questionable benefits for salmon, but definite impacts on local fish and recreation. And releasing water now means less water for electricity generation in the winter, when demand is higher.