Georgetown Lake Homeowners Association
Announcements
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NEW from Kim Johnston with People and Carnivores
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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. For information on resources including bear-resistant garbage canisters, contact Kim Johnston, large carnivore specialist
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406-599-9424 or email kjohnston@peopleandcarnivores.org
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Visit www.peopleandcarnivores.org/bearsmart to learn more
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Checkout the WILDLIFE section below for more information.
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 – November 30, 2023
Current Lake Elevation 6429.03 (PROVISIONAL DATA from USGS gage 12325000)
The water surface elevation is much higher than normal for this time of year, based on 80 years’ worth of lake elevation data.
Elevation and Inputs
From September 30 to November 27 (we’ll pretend the lake elevation stays about the same for the next 3 days until November 30) the lake elevation increased from 6428.83 ft to 6429.03 ft. More of this gain has occurred in November. On average, the lake gained 1.5 cfs per day over the month of October and 8.5 cfs per day over the month of November, which is equal to 89 acre-ft and 506 acre-ft respectively. In October, the average monthly outflows of 19.1 cfs were slightly less than what was coming into making the average total lake inputs equal to 20.5 cfs. For November, average monthly outflows of 10.9 cfs were less than inflows making the average total lake inputs equal to 19.4 cfs. The inflows were 90% of normal for October and 75% of normal for November.
Estimated daily inflows for the last 2-months were consistent for most of October around 21 cfs. The snowstorm that effected the entire state at the end of October, followed by warm weather, increased inflows at the end of October into the first week of November. Those flows have since returned to more consistent inflows bouncing between 11 and 17 cfs. Based on stream gage data, there continues to be a significant groundwater input to the lake over the last 2-months.
Precipitation
In October, the Peterson Meadows SNOTEL site accumulated 2.1 inches of precipitation (which is 105% of normal for the month). About ½ inch of this precipitation was snow accumulated from Oct. 25 – 31 which was 100% of normal snowpack for the end of October. In November, the Peterson Meadows SNOTEL site accumulated only 0.9 inches of precipitation (which is 45% of normal). Snowpack currently is at 0.8 inches which is 38% of normal for the end of November. The Warm Springs SNOTEL site, which gives an idea of the higher elevation precipitation conditions, accumulated 2.6 inches of precipitation in October (76% of normal) and 2.4 inches in November (67% of normal). Warm Springs currently has 2.3 inches of Snow Water Equivalent (SWE), which is 67% of normal for end of November.
Climate Forecast
The latest CPC climate forecast (created November 16, 2023) shows average air temperatures and approximately normal precipitation for the 1-month outlook. The 3-month outlook shows above average temperatures and lower than normal precipitation for mid-winter (December, January, February).
Model Forecast
The water surface elevation sits at 6429.03 feet as of today (11/27/2023). This value is just slightly higher than the last model projected elevation for end of November because I modeled with inflows at 80% and they turned out to again be 90% (still think it’s better to be low than high). I used today’s level of 6429.03 ft as the end of November model run, assuming that that the lake level and outflows will remain constant until November 30. Given the current inflows and projected weather over the next few months, I am using 75% of normal for inflows.
Temporary Modification of FERC Outflows – Borrow/Payback
As of August 15, Granite County received consent for a Temporary modification from the FERC license outflows by the 3 signing agencies (MT FWP, US FWS, USFS). The temporary modification was for an additional release of storage above the specified “30 cubic feet per second” to 40 cfs for 2-weeks. The borrow period was August 15 – 29 and the amount borrowed (calculated at the USGS Flint Creek near Southern Cross gage) was 232 acre-feet (volume released during the borrow period minus the volume that would have been released without a modification; 59.52 acre-feet or 30 cfs per day for 15 days). The Temporary Modification outlined a payback schedule to release 10 cfs less than the required amount (30 cfs), equal to 20 cfs, from October 1 – October 15. The payback period began on October 1 and ended with a full payback on October 14. Granite County coordinated with the 3 signing agencies to continue releases of 20 cfs from October 15 – 24 to match the estimated inflow to the lake and help manage higher than normal lake levels.
Todd Blythe, Montana DNRC; Water Sciences Bureau; 406-438-0717; todd.blythe@mt.gov
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.
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For information on resources including bear-resistant garbage canisters, contact Kim Johnston, large carnivore specialist, 406-599-9424 or email kjohnston@peopleandcarnivores.org
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Visit www.peopleandcarnivores.org/bearsmart to learn more.
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
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.