Noxon Rapids Reservoir is managed by Avista Utilities (Noxon Rapids Dam). Published reference elevations are listed below.
We do not have a usable elevation versus the published reference for this lake right now.
We don't have enough recent gauge readings to summarize Noxon Rapids Reservoir's status yet. View the water level page for the latest published data.
Sanders County, MT · U.S. Drought Monitor county statistics at the lake location (not a lake-specific designation)
Abnormally Dry
The largest share of Sanders County, MT is Abnormally Dry (D0). 0.1% of the county is still in Moderate Drought or worse (D1–D4), which the U.S. Drought Monitor treats as official drought. These figures describe the surrounding county from the lake location, not the lake itself.
Severity
Weekly trend
Improving
Compared with last week
Official drought (D1–D4)
Yes
0.1% of the surrounding county is in official drought categories (D1–D4). Dominant category remains Abnormally Dry.
U.S. Drought Monitor · map date Oct 6, 2026. Updated weekly. Official drought means U.S. Drought Monitor categories D1–D4 (Moderate through Exceptional). Abnormally Dry (D0) is not counted as official drought. droughtmonitor.unl.eduView drought map for Sanders County, MT
Managing authority
Waterbody / project type
Full pool
Datum
General factors for reservoirs like this
These are common influences for this type of lake. They do not identify the cause of a specific current change unless an operator update confirms it.
Rainfall & inflows
Rain and upstream river inflows can raise reservoir levels, especially after storms.
Downstream releases
When an operator releases water through a dam, reservoir storage can fall and downstream flows can rise.
Published reference elevation. Not necessarily a fixed year-round target for every project.
Managing authority: Avista Utilities (Noxon Rapids Dam)
Observation source used by Lake Insights: Not published
Who manages the lake and who publishes the reading Lake Insights displays can differ. Lake Insights does not invent a source label from the managing authority alone.
Shared background — not lake-specific facts
Lake Insights aggregates water level information from authoritative public sources such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, NOAA, TVA, Bureau of Reclamation, power utilities, and other official lake operators. We preserve historical observations, calculate trends, and present lake conditions in a consistent format. Lake Insights does not predict future lake levels unless an official forecast has been published by the managing authority.
Unavailable
Mostly Sunny then Chance Light Rain · 3.6 mph ESE
Flood-risk operations
Some projects store or release water under flood-risk rules when conditions require it.
Water supply
Some reservoirs support municipal, industrial, irrigation, or regional water-supply needs.
Hydropower
Hydropower projects may pass water through turbines when generating electricity.
Seasonal weather
Dry periods, heat, evaporation, and seasonal rainfall patterns can affect storage over weeks and months.
Good
Best window: 6:20 AM–7:20 AM
Weather 1 hour ago · CABINET (TROUT CREEK)