The water level in Echo Lake has been rapidly increasing, causing county and state officials to keep a close eye on the body of water, but so far no closures or boating restrictions have been implemented.

Flathead County commissioners Wednesday heard from the county public works director and the Fish, Wildlife and Parks regional supervisor about the lake’s level, potential for damage and what steps would have to be taken to close the road or halt water activities.

Last year, Causeway Lane, which crosses Echo Lake, was closed June 27 and not opened again until Dec. 9 because the quarter-mile-long road was covered with water as deep as 18 inches in some places.

Fish, Wildlife and Parks also implemented a no-wake order for watercraft on Echo Lake for most of last summer to prevent damage to the shoreline and structures around the lake and because of concerns about water contamination caused by flooding of septic systems and drain fields.

Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials said Tuesday that the water level at Echo Lake was 9 inches below the causeway but the lake’s level has been rising 1.5 inches a day. The agency has been monitoring Echo Lake all spring to establish base levels.

Fish, Wildlife and Parks Warden Captain Lee Anderson cautions boaters to stay away from the shoreline of Echo Lake and asks boaters to minimize boating wakes to reduce waves and resulting impacts on the shorelines.

County Public Works Director Dave Prunty said the causeway isn’t yet covered by water, but “I anticipate at some time water will be over the road.”

However, some undercutting of the asphalt along the road’s edges is occurring from high water and waves, he said.

“The integrity of the road where people are traveling is OK,” Prunty said. “But if the edge gets covered by water, we could have problems.” If a driver can’t see the edge of the road, it would be possible for a vehicle to be damaged by dropping its wheels over the edge and it’s even possible for a vehicle to end up in the lake, he said.

Wave action on the lake, caused both by high winds and boaters, has pushed some debris onto the road, Prunty said.

Limiting wave action would be beneficial from the road department’s perspective, he said, realizing waves created by wind can’t be prevented.

“I’m not recommending Causeway Lane be closed,” Prunty said Wednesday, “but I think we’ll get there.” Once water encroaches on the driving lane, the road will have to be closed, he said.

The sheriff has the authority to close roads for safety reasons, and Prunty said he and Sheriff Chuck Curry have talked about Causeway Lane this week.

Prunty and Commissioner Dale Lauman acknowledged that closing Causeway Lane makes travel for residents of the area difficult. But both said safety is more important.

“If it needs to be closed, we’ll close it,” Prunty said.

Jim Satterfield, regional supervisor for Fish, Wildlife and Parks, said if the Flathead City-County Health Department makes recommendations to implement a no-wake order on the water, “I think we’ll listen and concur.”

He also told county officials that on some lakes in Montana, rules have been implemented that if the water level reaches a certain point, a no-wake order is immediately put in place.

If local leaders want to consider such an option for Echo Lake, the issue could be addressed by the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission, Satterfield said.

Prunty said recent heavy rainfall, spring mountain runoff and the natural springs that feed Echo Lake all are contributing to the high water levels. Echo Lake has no outlet to drain excess water.

Reporter Shelley Ridenour may be reached at 758-4439 or sridenour@dailyinterlake.com.