Drought leads power company to store more water behind dam
Associated Press— NorthWestern Energy is reducing the amount of water it releases from Hebgen Dam into the Madison River in southwestern Montana for nearly three weeks, starting Monday, in order to store additional water for use this summer. “Saving this water to supplement flows during the heat of the summer will help to reduce stress on fish from elevated water temperatures,” said Andy Welch, NorthWestern Energy manager of Hydro License Compliance. NorthWestern plans to reduce the flows to as low as 550 cubic feet per second at the Kirby U.S. Geological Survey gage near the community of Cameron. In January, Hebgen Lake business owners filed a protest with FERC saying NorthWestern Energy was irresponsible in managing water levels last summer, causing them to lose business.
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Complaints made over utility management of Hebgen Lake, dam
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