Georgetown Lake Homeowners Association
Announcements
Georgetown Lake Homeowners Association Meeting and Lunch
was held
Saturday August 23, 2025
12:00 PM
Fire Hall on Fire Lane
Speakers
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Cameron Raisor, Forest Service
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Visit www.fs.usda.gov​
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The Forest Service has started planning for a vegetation management project at Georgetown Lake
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It is illegal to shoot fireworks on Forest Service land.
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Max Rebholz, Northwestern Energy Wildfire Public Information
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visit northwesternenergy.com/wildfire​
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Go to the "My Energy Account" and toggle "Update Me" to get updates on fires
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Brad Liermann, Fish, Wildlife and Parks Fish Specialist
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Visit myfwp.mt.gov/​
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Visit myfwp.mt.gov/fishMT/plan/planreport to view fish stocking data
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John Fitzpatrick, State Legislator
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State Representative for Georgetown Lake​
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Check the Montana Cadastral for property values
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Services
Georgetown Lake Volunteer Fire Department
The fire hall can now host your community events including meetings and weddings. Please contact Fred to discuss your ideas as to how you might use the fire hall.
Fred Bjorklund, Fire Chief
406-560-3260
Anaconda Sheriff Dept
Please call 911 if a crime is in progress, someone is hurt or threatened, a weapon has been used or is present, or for any other emergency situation.
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If you have an emergency. please dial 911
Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
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Phone: 911
The Lake
Georgetown Lake Update – September 5, 2025 -
Current Lake Elevation - 6428.17 ft
(Provisional Data from Georgetown Lake near Philipsburg, MT - USGS Water Data for the Nation)
The water surface elevation has been below average for July and August, based on 80 years’ worth of lake elevation data.
Elevation and Inflows
Inflows to Georgetown have been very low as severe drought impacts much of western Montana. After a very underwhelming runoff season, low flows have persisted throughout the summer resulting in faster rates of decline in lake level than even last summer (which also had quite low flows). In July the lake lost 1,488 acre-feet of storage. In August the lake lost 1,398 acre-feet of storage. The July average monthly outflows were about 30.1 cfs and the August monthly outflows were about 31.0 cfs, which were both more than inflows for those respective months. The average total lake inputs for July were equal to about 5.9 cfs and 8.4 cfs for August. The inflows were a staggering 14% of normal for July (not the lowest but one of the lower Julys) and 39% for August.
Precipitation
Oddly enough, the low inflows to Georgetown continued even with higher-than-normal precipitation. The Peterson Meadows SNOTEL site accumulated 0.9 inches (113% of normal) of precipitation in July and 2.0 inches (250% of normal) in August. The Warm Springs SNOTEL site, which gives an idea of the higher elevation precipitation conditions, accumulated 1.8 inches of precipitation (150% of normal) in July and 2.3 inches (192% of normal) in August.
Climate Forecast
The latest CPC climate forecast for Western Montana (created September 4, 2025) shows warmer than average air temperatures and above average precipitation for September (up to September 20). The local weather in Philipsburg is showing a high chance of cooler temperatures (highs in the 60s) and rain into early next week.
Model Forecast
For this model run, I started at the end of July and used actual August data for the month of August, so the modeled lake level of 6428.29 ft is what was actually observed at the end of August. Our stream gage on the NF Flint Creek showed that flows are still very low, the rain in August did created small increases but not enough to really bring inflows back to normal. As there is a chance of similar precipitation in September, I used the same observed value of 40% of normal inflows for September through October (assuming those stay the same and that at least some rain comes!). If no precipitation comes in September/October these results could look even worse for lake level. For October, I did include the payback (release of 20 cfs) for the borrowed storage water in July/August, and then given the low lake level, modeled the rest of October outflows at 6 cfs. I left outflows at 6 cfs for November (or at least until the lake freezes) to show how that could possibly raise lake levels before winter sets in.
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Todd Blythe | Surface Water Section Supervisor
Water Sciences Bureau
Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation
Airport Business Park 1371 Rimtop Dr., Billings, MT 59105
MOBILE: 406-438-0717 EMAIL: todd.blythe@mt.gov
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Wildlife
Protecting Montana's Waters
John O'Bannon AIS Area Supervisor for Southwest Montana, with the Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks AIS Bureau, Presented a slide show on protecting Montana's lakes, rivers and streams from invasive mussels, snails and fish at the August Georgetown Lake Homeowners Association meeting and BBQ.
For more information please contact:
John O'Bannon
406.210.5054
john.o'bannon@mt.gov
cleandraindrymt.com
To help stop the spread of invasive aquatic species:
1. Help spread the Clean, Drain, Dry message
2. Boats traveling on the Interstate should be inspected prior to launch
3. Aquarium dumping must be STOPPED! Aquariums fish and plants can cause serious damage to our lakes and streams.
Help Protect Our Bears
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Help us prevent conflicts with bears around Georgetown Lake. People and Carnivores is available to help any resident with information and resources on how to reduce the chance for conflicts with bears at your home and in your neighborhood.
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At Home Bear Safety Toolkit
We developed one toolkit for Homeowners & Residents in Bear Country with a flyer with bear aware information, a bear-safe property checklist, information on where to get bear-resistant garbage canisters and other resources to reduce conflicts with bears.
Vacation Rentals in Bear Country toolkit
We also created a toolkit for vacation rental properties, that has information for the property owner along with materials they can put in the rental for their guests with reminders to not leave attractants outside. We've seen a growing number of vacation rental properties where guests are leaving coolers on the porch and leaving the trash cans overflowing and not locking the lids, even when they have bear-resistant cans. We created stickers to go on the bear cans with a reminder for guests to keep them locked and not overfill, along with a magnet and other materials with helpful tips.
Montana Sport Fish Consumption Guidelines
What you need to know about Mercury, PCBs, and other contaminants when fishing in Montana. This guide provides information about how to enjoy healthy meals from wild fish caught in Montana.
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It provides specific scientific data about the water bodies which have been tested, plus more general information for areas that have not yet been tested.
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For more information contact Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks
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For information on collection and laboratory testing of fish from Montana waters, call MT Fish, Wildlife and Parks at 406-444-2449.
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For information on the health risks of eating fish, call MT Health & Human Services 406-444-2837 or email: HHSFCS@mt.gov.
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Or visit the MFWP website at www.fwp.mt.gov/fishing
Gallery
What does the Georgetown Lake Homeowner’s Association do for our community?
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Water Management: We are on a committee that advises Granite County on lake management. We cosponsored and participated in a Clean Lake Study to assure our lake is healthy. It is!
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Homeowners at the lake wanted a “soft touch” zoning or development rules so we guided that process through meeting and hearings until that was achieved. ( 3 years).
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Wildlife Management issues: We work closely with FWP and other groups to address wildlife issues in our area. This includes public presentations and promoting good management practices such as bear proof garbage cans.
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We support the Georgetown Lake Fire Department with equipment donations and funding for equipment for the Emergency Response Unit.
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We have had a member sit on the Granite County Planning Board to guide development at the lake.
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GLHA holds two meetings at the lake every year to keep members informed of current issues. There are usually speakers from various agencies to inform us on topics of interest.
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GLHA has a representative sit on the Granite County Watershed Committee. This group is designed to preserve and protect the watershed including Georgetown Lake. They also promote maintaining our rural lifestyle.
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GLHA also shares in the cost of maintaining a USGS flow gauge on Flint Creek. This measures the water coming out of Georgetown Lake on a real time basis. This enables us to monitor management of the reservoir by Granite County.
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GLHA offers a $1,000.00 reward for information leading to arrest and conviction of person or persons damaging a member’s property.
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We welcome new members to help us with these endeavors. The cost of membership is $50. You can send a check to GLHA, PO Box 643 , Anaconda, Montana 59711. Include your address at the lake and for future mailings, email is appreciated also.