Northwest Montana reaches ‘severe drought’ status

KALISPELL (AP) – Northwest Montana has reached “severe drought” status in the U.S. Drought Monitor.

The Flathead Valley through Friday had gone 30 straight days without measurable rainfall.

The Daily Inter Lake reports that local water districts are seeing record demand.

Evergreen Water and Sewer District General Manager Roberta Struck says water demand was far higher than it’s ever been for June.

Customers in the Evergreen district used 119 million gallons of water; average June water use is 65 million gallons.

Single-day water use in Kalispell peaked at 9.6 million gallons and averaged more than 6.8 million gallons a day during June. Both measures represent more than a 50 percent increase over any of the previous three years.

City Manager Doug Russell says the city isn’t having any problems meeting demand.