BIGFORK - Low water levels are changing the way business around Flathead Lake is being conducted.
“There’s a lot of businesses that rely on the lake being at full pool in order to do their business,” said Flathead Lake Charters owner Todd Noble.
Outfitters, marinas, restaurants, and many others depend on high lake traffic and activity for income.
- RELATED: Cabin owners forced to adjust to record low Flathead Lake levels
- RELATED: Dr. Steve Running explains Flathead Lake level connection to climate change
- RELATED: Weather playing an important role in low Flathead Lake levels
- RELATED: Dam operators: Beginning of pattern of ever-decreasing levels in Flathead River Basin
- RELATED: Low Flathead Lake levels could impact farmers' bottom lines
- RELATED: Montana Congressional delegation response to record low Flathead Lake levels
One is Saddlehorn Marina which sits the on shore of Woods Bay in Bigfork. The marina is known for having all the amenities to have fun on the water and is a popular spot during the summer months.
“We probably have about 60 boats a day come in,” shared Ryder Trent, co-operator of the marina's rental business.
Traffic on the lake and boat rentals help keep the restaurant busy.
“We’re definitely lucky having 40 feet off the end of the dock here," Trent continued. "But we have noticed just a little bit slower boat traffic and just tourism in general I feel like is a little slower this year.”
Saddlehorn also owns a marina close by, “The marina in the back, it’s either buy or rental slips and we have 98 back there."
The marina sits behind Saddlehorn's main docks. Boats in the back have to move under a bridge to get out onto the main part of Flathead Lake. The water level is a lot lower on that side of the bridge which has already made owners pull their boats out of the lake.
“Over half of the boats got pulled out back there. We’ve actually winterized a couple already just because people are like ‘it’s not worth it’,” said Trent.
Todd Noble's business, Flathead Lake Charters, launches fishing tours from the shallow back marina.
“We’re still getting guests out on the lake," shared Noble. However, he also noted that it's getting much more difficult to get guests out to fish day by day.
Noble's boats used to be in slips attached to floating docks. Unfortunately, the water level has fallen so low that the docks are no longer floating and the boats have touched the ground.
Grounded boats are boats in danger as the rocks on the lake floor rub against the boats, which could cause serious damage like holes.
Luckily, the Flathead Lake Charters boats were able to move into different slips in water that it a little bit deeper. Still, though, the boats are almost touching the ground.
Not only is the water level lowering in the back marina but it is dropping under the bridge as well. This has caused Noble to worry about getting guests out onto the main part of the lake.
“The other concern we have of course is being able to get out of the marina through the very narrow, shallow channel that we have to navigate."
If the water levels drop any more then doing business gets harder much harder for Flathead Lake Charters. Noble explained that he will have to pull his boats out and find other places on the lake with higher water to launch.
“We’re going to have to launch two boats every day and then pull them back out in the afternoon or evening and it’s just going to add an immense amount of time to our schedule.”
Noble says that in the 10 years that he’s worked at Flathead Lake Charters, he’s never experienced anything like this, "This is unprecedented. I've never seen the lake drop like this in the summer."
He wants to know why it’s happening.
When asked his feelings in regard to the situation, he stated, “Frustration more than anything because we’re not getting the answers we want from the entities involved.”
He also wants to know the plan for the future not only for his business but for everyone working around Flathead Lake.
If low water levels become the new normal for Flathead Lake summers, then both Trent and Noble say their businesses will be impacted greatly.
Watch the full KPAX special report below.
