Georgetown Lake Homeowners Association
Announcements
The Georgetown Lake Homeowners Annual meeting will be on Saturday August 22, 2026 at 12:00 at the Fire House on Fire Lane. The event will be catered by
Metals of Butte
Services
Georgetown Lake Volunteer Fire Department
The fire hall can now host your community events including meetings and weddings. Please contact Fred to discuss your ideas as to how you might use the fire hall.
Fred Bjorklund, Fire Chief
406-560-3260
Anaconda Sheriff Dept
Please call 911 if a crime is in progress, someone is hurt or threatened, a weapon has been used or is present, or for any other emergency situation.
If you have an emergency. please dial 911
Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
Phone: 911
The Lake
Georgetown Lake Update – August 22, 2026
Current Lake Elevation - 6429.19 ft
(Provisional Data from Georgetown Lake near Philipsburg, MT - USGS Water Data for the Nation)
The water surface elevation is above average for this time of year based on 80 years’ worth of lake elevation data.
Elevation and Inflows
It has been a while since my last update report! So, I’ll bring everyone up-to-speed on conditions to the end of July and so far into August (since it is nearly over). As many already know, the lake filled this year, peaking at just about a quarter of a foot (or 3 inches) over the spillway at the end of June. No records were set, but inflows and lake levels were higher than average this year over the summer months. After gaining over 1,000 acre-feet throughout June, in July, the lake lost 833 acre-feet of storage. With average monthly outflows of 51.6 cfs, the total inflow to the lake is estimated at 38.1 cfs for July. The inflows were 87% of average for July. For the first few weeks of August, inflows fell off a cliff. They dropped to around 2-3 cfs, not quite as low as the last two years but still low. Precipitation improved inflows starting August 14, but they are starting to drop again. With the higher-than-average lake level, we should be able to weather the low flows into the fall.
Precipitation
The Peterson Meadows SNOTEL site accumulated 1.8 inches (225% of normal) of precipitation in July. So far, precipitation is above average for August at this station too. The Warm Springs SNOTEL site, which gives an idea of the higher elevation precipitation conditions, accumulated only 0.1 inches of precipitation (8% normal) in July. In August, Warm Springs is trending above average so far.
Climate Forecast
The latest CPC climate forecast for Western Montana (created August 21, 2026) shows above average air temperatures and normal precipitation for the rest of August and first part of September. The local weather in Philipsburg is predicting a chance of thunderstorms on and off this next week, but with smaller chances of rain. Temperatures will mainly be in the 80s for the highs.
Model Forecast
I used the end of July lake elevation to start this model run. Based on conditions seen this month and data at the DNRC NF Flint Creek stream gage, I used 55% of normal inflows for August. For the rest of 2026 I went with 65% of normal although this may be an underestimate given the precipitation totals we’ve seen. Given that the lake is above average, even with only 65% of inflows for the rest of the year, there should be plenty of flexibility for releases.
Todd Blythe, Montana DNRC
Water Sciences Bureau
406-438-0717
Wildlife
Protecting Montana's Waters
John O'Bannon AIS Area Supervisor for Southwest Montana, with the Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks AIS Bureau, Presented a slide show on protecting Montana's lakes, rivers and streams from invasive mussels, snails and fish at the August Georgetown Lake Homeowners Association meeting and BBQ.
For more information please contact:
John O'Bannon
406.210.5054
john.o'bannon@mt.gov
cleandraindrymt.com
To help stop the spread of invasive aquatic species:
1. Help spread the Clean, Drain, Dry message
2. Boats traveling on the Interstate should be inspected prior to launch
3. Aquarium dumping must be STOPPED! Aquariums fish and plants can cause serious damage to our lakes and streams.
Help Protect Our Bears
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Help us prevent conflicts with bears around Georgetown Lake. People and Carnivores is available to help any resident with information and resources on how to reduce the chance for conflicts with bears at your home and in your neighborhood.
At Home Bear Safety Toolkit
We developed one toolkit for Homeowners & Residents in Bear Country with a flyer with bear aware information, a bear-safe property checklist, information on where to get bear-resistant garbage canisters and other resources to reduce conflicts with bears.
Vacation Rentals in Bear Country toolkit
We also created a toolkit for vacation rental properties, that has information for the property owner along with materials they can put in the rental for their guests with reminders to not leave attractants outside. We've seen a growing number of vacation rental properties where guests are leaving coolers on the porch and leaving the trash cans overflowing and not locking the lids, even when they have bear-resistant cans. We created stickers to go on the bear cans with a reminder for guests to keep them locked and not overfill, along with a magnet and other materials with helpful tips.
Montana Sport Fish Consumption Guidelines
What you need to know about Mercury, PCBs, and other contaminants when fishing in Montana. This guide provides information about how to enjoy healthy meals from wild fish caught in Montana.
It provides specific scientific data about the water bodies which have been tested, plus more general information for areas that have not yet been tested.
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For more information contact Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks
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For information on collection and laboratory testing of fish from Montana waters, call MT Fish, Wildlife and Parks at 406-444-2449.
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For information on the health risks of eating fish, call MT Health & Human Services 406-444-2837 or email: HHSFCS@mt.gov.
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Or visit the MFWP website at www.fwp.mt.gov/fishing
Gallery
Georgetown Lake Homeowners Association Meeting and Lunch was held Saturday August 23, 2025 at12:00 PM at theFire Hall on Fire Lane.
Speakers included:
1. Cameron Raisor, Forest Service (Visit www.fs.usda.gov). The Forest Service has started planning for a vegetation management project at Georgetown Lake. Please remember that it is illegal to shoot fireworks on Forest Service land.
2. Max Rebholz, Northwestern Energy spoke on Wildfire Management Information (visit northwesternenergy.com/wildfire), you are asked to Go to the "My Energy Account" and toggle "Update Me" to get updates on fires.
3. Brad Liermann, Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Fish Specialist (Visit myfwp.mt.gov) Visit myfwp.mt.gov/fishMT/plan/planreport to view fish stocking data John Fitzpatrick, State LegislatorState Representative for Georgetown Lake.
What does the Georgetown Lake Homeowner’s Association do for our community?
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Water Management: We are on a committee that advises Granite County on lake management. We cosponsored and participated in a Clean Lake Study to assure our lake is healthy. It is!
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Homeowners at the lake wanted a “soft touch” zoning or development rules so we guided that process through meeting and hearings until that was achieved. ( 3 years).
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Wildlife Management issues: We work closely with FWP and other groups to address wildlife issues in our area. This includes public presentations and promoting good management practices such as bear proof garbage cans.
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We support the Georgetown Lake Fire Department with equipment donations and funding for equipment for the Emergency Response Unit.
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We have had a member sit on the Granite County Planning Board to guide development at the lake.
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GLHA holds two meetings at the lake every year to keep members informed of current issues. There are usually speakers from various agencies to inform us on topics of interest.
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GLHA has a representative sit on the Granite County Watershed Committee. This group is designed to preserve and protect the watershed including Georgetown Lake. They also promote maintaining our rural lifestyle.
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GLHA also shares in the cost of maintaining a USGS flow gauge on Flint Creek. This measures the water coming out of Georgetown Lake on a real time basis. This enables us to monitor management of the reservoir by Granite County.
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GLHA offers a $1,000.00 reward for information leading to arrest and conviction of person or persons damaging a member’s property.
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We welcome new members to help us with these endeavors. The cost of membership is $50. You can send a check to GLHA, PO Box 643 , Anaconda, Montana 59711. Include your address at the lake and for future mailings, email is appreciated also.