Lake Koocanusa Maximum and Minimum Pool Elevation Contours, Lincoln County, Montana

In 2016, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) started collecting high-resolution multibeam echosounder (MBES) data on Lake Koocanusa. The survey originated near the International Boundary (River Mile (RM) 271.0) and extended down the reservoir, hereinafter referred to as downstream, about 1.4 miles downstream of the Montana 37 Highway Bridge near Boulder Creek (about RM 253). USACE continued the survey in 2017, completing a reach that extended from about RM 253 downstream to near Tweed Creek (RM 244.5). In 2018, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Idaho Water Science Center completed the remaining portion of the reservoir from RM 244.5 downstream to Libby Dam (RM 219.9). The MBES data collected in 2016 and 2017 by the USACE was combined with the MBES data collected in 2018 by the USGS. The USGS also developed an elevation-area-capacity table at one-foot intervals from the minimum pool elevation (2,290.84 ft) to the maximum pool elevation (2462.84 ft) using the new bathymetry data. The updated stage-capacity table will be compared to the current usable storage estimate of 4,979,500 acre-feet and published in a USGS Scientific Investigations Report. A 10-ft digital elevation model (DEM) and minimum and maximum pool contours also were generated from the bathymetric data and are provided in this data release.

Data and Resources

Field Value
accessLevel public
bureauCode {010:12}
catalog_@context https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.jsonld
catalog_conformsTo https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema
catalog_describedBy https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.json
identifier USGS:5f3d6d9982ce8df5b6c7222b
metadata_type geospatial
modified 20210825
old-spatial -115.38431670, 48.40829719, -115.06632961, 49.00301497
publisher U.S. Geological Survey
publisher_hierarchy Department of the Interior > U.S. Geological Survey
resource-type Dataset
source_datajson_identifier true
source_hash ad76de611de3ba9f2a11de1b978b66b93719560b
source_schema_version 1.1
spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-115.38431670, 48.40829719], [-115.38431670, 49.00301497], [ -115.06632961, 49.00301497], [ -115.06632961, 48.40829719], [-115.38431670, 48.40829719]]]}
theme {geospatial}
Groups
  • AmeriGEOSS
  • National Provider
  • North America
Tags
  • amerigeo
  • amerigeoss
  • bathymetry
  • bathymetry-measurement
  • ckan
  • contouring
  • dam-sites
  • digital-elevation-models
  • elevation
  • erosion
  • gaging-stations
  • geo
  • geospatial-analysis
  • geospatial-datasets
  • geoss
  • gps-measurement
  • hypack
  • hysweep
  • inlandwaters
  • kootenai
  • kootenai-pend-oreille-spokane
  • land-surveying
  • lidar
  • lincoln
  • location
  • montana
  • multibeam-sonar
  • national
  • north-america
  • pacific-northwest
  • reference-locations
  • reservoirs
  • sedimentation
  • spatial-analysis
  • territorial-waters
  • topographic-maps
  • topography
  • united-states
  • upper-kootenai
  • usgs-5f3d6d9982ce8df5b6c7222b
isopen False
license_id notspecified
license_title License not specified
maintainer Ryan L. Fosness
maintainer_email rfosness@usgs.gov
metadata_created 2025-11-20T14:07:32.126986
metadata_modified 2025-11-20T14:07:32.126991
notes In 2016, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) started collecting high-resolution multibeam echosounder (MBES) data on Lake Koocanusa. The survey originated near the International Boundary (River Mile (RM) 271.0) and extended down the reservoir, hereinafter referred to as downstream, about 1.4 miles downstream of the Montana 37 Highway Bridge near Boulder Creek (about RM 253). USACE continued the survey in 2017, completing a reach that extended from about RM 253 downstream to near Tweed Creek (RM 244.5). In 2018, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Idaho Water Science Center completed the remaining portion of the reservoir from RM 244.5 downstream to Libby Dam (RM 219.9). The MBES data collected in 2016 and 2017 by the USACE was combined with the MBES data collected in 2018 by the USGS. The USGS also developed an elevation-area-capacity table at one-foot intervals from the minimum pool elevation (2,290.84 ft) to the maximum pool elevation (2462.84 ft) using the new bathymetry data. The updated stage-capacity table will be compared to the current usable storage estimate of 4,979,500 acre-feet and published in a USGS Scientific Investigations Report. A 10-ft digital elevation model (DEM) and minimum and maximum pool contours also were generated from the bathymetric data and are provided in this data release.
num_resources 2
num_tags 40
title Lake Koocanusa Maximum and Minimum Pool Elevation Contours, Lincoln County, Montana