Ennis Lake dropping after boulder damages dam

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Story Published: Sep 2, 2010 at 4:00 AM MST

Story Updated: Sep 2, 2010 at 4:00 AM MST

BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) — Ennis Lake's water level is dropping after a boulder the size of a school bus crushed a 30-foot wide section of the Madison Dam.

Officials say the boulder fell from a cliff early Monday onto three spill gates, though the damage appears to be relatively minor.

PPL Montana says water has been slowly draining from the lake since, but the boulder is actually blocking even more water from flowing through the damaged spill gates.

PPL Montana engineers have begun releasing more water to ease pressure on the boulder and to allow engineers to gauge the damage.

PPL Montana says the lake's level is expected to drop by about 5 feet by late Wednesday. The lake may eventually be drawn down 9 feet, which would allow a full inspection.

The lake is outside of Ennis, which is about 50 miles southwest of Bozeman.

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