Lolo Creek drying raises concerns over water

LOLO, Mont. — Portions of Lolo Creek have gone completely dry in late August, with stretches between U.S. Highway 93 and the Bitterroot River showing no visible water due to an exceptionally low water year, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

FWP spokeswoman Vivaca Crowser said the combination of below-average snowmelt, hot weather and drought left the creek especially vulnerable. Irrigation demands upstream can further strain the already diminished flows, she said, though landowners and agencies continue to coordinate on sharing water use to reduce impacts.

“It’s something that we’ll just have to continue to work on and has been a while since we’ve had it totally dry, I think at the end of the creek, but it happens from time to time, unfortunately,” Crowser said.

A striking visual of the dried creek bed is the numerous trout lying on the ground. Crowser said the creek still supports a sustainable population of trout overall.

While NBC Montana was at the scene, the creek bed filled with water again due to a short burst of rainfall that temporarily boosted flows. Crowser said the effect rarely lasts.

Fighting drought conditions is a continuing battle for FWP and its partners. Crowser gave a few examples: encouraging more efficient irrigation practices, installing fish screens to reduce losses in shallow sections and investing in habitat improvements to offset fish die-offs.

While complete drying is not common, Crowser said stretches of the creek regularly run low during the summer months.

She said local ranchers and landowners with water rights have generally responded with a cooperative shared sacrifice approach by returning some water to the creek during dry periods.

“What we’re seeing is ranchers and others with water rights really doing a good job of that shared sacrifice approach of not totally abandoning use of the water, but putting at least some of the water back into the creek and trying to really hone in on, OK, what are those things that really need water for now and what are more expendable and wait till the conditions are better,” Crowser said. “There’s always places where we could do better, but I think in general down there, the culture has been really good about sharing that water back to the creek in times like this.”

Devin Jackson, a Lolo resident with property near the creek, has watched the stream’s decline for more than a decade. He said the creek last went completely dry after major wildfires in 2017 and experienced similar shortages starting in 2010. In response, the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation installed a stream gauge locally and worked with irrigators to scale back usage in dry years, which helped sustain flows most summers.

Jackson said beneath the surface, the region’s aquifer plays a crucial role. Geological differences mean bedrock upstream helps hold water in place, but once the creek passes Highway 93, low aquifer levels can draw water underground, leaving the streambed dry.

“If the aquifer is full, it’s not a problem, but when the aquifer gets low, it does get to be a problem,” Jackson said. “What’s happening is the aquifer has gotten so low that the water seeps through, and that’s on all of us. That’s all of us with a well, all of us on Lolo city water. Essentially, we’re all drawing from that aquifer.”

The shifts in water levels have ripple effects across the ecosystem. Small fish become trapped in isolated pools, easy prey for herons. Rising temperatures and low oxygen can cause widespread fish kills, while changes in aquatic life cascade into vegetation and wildlife patterns along the creek.

Some believe beaver dams are the culprit of the lack of water. Jackson said the dams are helping preserve small fish populations.

“The beavers get a bad rap, but they are doing a good thing. They’re protecting us,” Jackson said. “Don’t damage beaver dams. Don’t alter the stream bed in any way.”

It’s more than just an environmental concern, both Jackson and Crowser said. The creek is historically known as a blue-ribbon trout stream, feeding hatcheries and sustaining the Bitterroot Valley’s recreation economy. Guides, outfitters, farmers and ranchers all rely on a continued flow, with fishing and tourism now ranking among the valley’s largest industries. It’s a balancing act of agricultural needs and stream preservation.

“Even the ranchers and the farmers up there, they need the water to finish their cattle and get their crops in but every single person down the line, the hunter, the tourist, they all need this water to flow for us to have a thriving economy here,” Jackson said.