Most of Montana is gripped by moderate to extreme drought
Edward F. O'Brien
A powerful one-two punch of low snowpack and below-average precipitation spells trouble for Montana this summer.
A hot, dry fall left many areas with a significant moisture deficit.
June was drier than average for most of the state, and July is expected to be exceptionally hot and dry.
According to the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation’s Drought Outlook report, 60 percent of Montana is in moderate to extreme drought. Another 15 percent is abnormally dry.
If the hot, parched summer forecast pans out, Montana’s drought conditions could worsen.
The report says even with average rainfall this month, streamflow and surface water levels will likely dip below average statewide.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated four Montana counties – Flathead, Glacier, Pondera and Teton – as drought-related Natural Disaster Areas. That designation opens up emergency loans to producers.
Resource managers to release water into the Clark Fork to combat low flows
Victoria Traxler
Water levels in the Clark Fork River are low. State officials have agreed to release water from Silver Lake to improve flows to the Clark Fork. That was announced in a press release Wednesday from Gov. Greg Gianforte’s office.
Silver Lake sits about an hour northeast of Butte. Resource managers plan to release more water for 47 days. That increased flow will equate to roughly 17,000 gallons per minute. The change will begin on July 11.
Officials hope the move avoids critically-low water levels in the Clark Fork. Rivers across the state are trending low, resulting in early Hoot-Owl restrictions and large algal blooms.
This is Montana’s fifth consecutive year of drought conditions.
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