Governor Greg Gianforte today announced agreements among the state of Montana, Butte-Silver Bow (BSB), and Montana Resources (MR) that secure water releases from Silver Lake to improve instream flows in the Clark Fork River.
Under the agreement with the state (2021 Silver Lake Release Agreement), beginning August 5, BSB will release 32 cubic feet per second (cfs) of water continuously for 45 days from Silver Lake into Warm Springs Creek, where it will eventually make its way to the Clark Fork River. Under its separate agreement with BSB and to help to expedite the schedule, MR requested BSB to commence releases on August 2, which have already occurred.
The state’s Natural Resource Damage Program (NRDP) will fund the project under the Upper Clark Fork River Basin Aquatic and Terrestrial Resources Restoration Plans (2019).
Additional information on previous releases can be found in this report 2019 Silver Lake Release Report.
