Residents urge Flathead County to repair Little Bitterroot boat launches as lake level falls

Several Little Bitterroot Lake residents told the Flathead County Board of Commissioners on April 24 that county-owned boat launches are unsafe and effectively unusable because of low water levels and sediment berms.

The speakers, representing the Little Bitterroot Lake Association and individual lakefront homeowners, said a combination of low lake levels, power loading and eroded berms has left launches impassable, hazardous to people and harmful to boats.

"First of all, thank you for your service. You guys could be out there, retired, playing, but you're working for us for us for the citizens of this, beautiful area, and I really appreciate your service," said Dan Hamlin, president of the Little Bitterroot Lake Association, during public comment. Hamlin asked the commissioners to consider permitting work on the county launches and to understand long‑term limitations at the sites.

Steve Moore, a year‑round Little Bitterroot Lake resident, described the north launch as "about chest deep water at the bottom of the boat launch" with a rock berm 30 to 50 feet out that forces people to jump out of boats or risk propeller damage. He said buried rocks have been exposed and create sharp hazards that can puncture tires or injure people.

John Cummings said a fund established by Kelsey Cummings to support the south launch may still hold unused money and suggested the county review whether that fund could be applied. Greg Foley, who also fishes the lake, said county parks staff told him Fish, Wildlife & Parks lacked manpower and funding to install a dock earlier in the season, which limited public access before Memorial Day.

County Weed & Parks Director Chris Massas later described a related, staff‑driven request to flatten and remove a rock and sediment berm that has formed beyond the boat ramp on Little Bitterroot Lake. "So what we are, requesting here is the ability to get some type of machinery to go right up to the shoreline and then reach in with probably a bucket of some sort, pull that sediment out, flatten it a little bit as best we can, to at least make it more navigable," Massas said. He characterized the work as a temporary, seasonal "Band‑Aid" to improve access while the lake level remains low.

Caitlin Messerly of Planning and Zoning presented a lakeshore permit (FLP 25‑17) from the Flathead County Weed & Parks Department that would allow county crews to remove and redistribute gravel and flatten the berm at low water, with conditions that no equipment come into contact with the lake, all debris be removed, and no materials be stockpiled in the Lakeshore Protection Zone. Commissioners voted to approve the permit.

Several speakers warned that if county launches remain unusable, some property owners will create informal, nonpermitted access points, which residents said would increase shoreline damage. Mike Hammer said a local boat dealer had refused to let a customer test a new boat on Bitterroot Lake because of launch conditions.

The public comments and the Weed & Parks permit are tied to a wider concern about lake level management and prior activities by the Flathead Indian Irrigation Project, which speakers said lowered the lake in 2023. Commissioners did not adopt immediate capital funding at the meeting but approved the permit that allows county crews to address the immediate berm and sediment problem.

The county's permit approval includes explicit limits on equipment contact with the water and a requirement that debris and materials be removed from the Lakeshore Protection Zone. Massas said any more extensive work such as pouring concrete would require a separate permit and further review.

Residents asked the commission to track any available dedicated funds (including historic local donations) and to consider timing repairs when lake levels are low. Commissioners and staff said they would continue monitoring conditions and follow the permitting and budgeting process for longer‑term fixes.