State officials are taking public comment on proposed removal of old logs from the bottom of Flathead Lake. The logs would be sold for lumber.
The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation plans an environmental assessment of the proposal by North Shore Development LLC. The company needs a permit to take logs from the state-owned bed of the lake. The agency wants public comment by Jan. 28.
The state and North Shore recently settled a lawsuit over ownership of the logs. They agreed that North Shore owns those stamped with an encircled “N” and the state owns unmarked logs.
The logs are covered by up to 50 feet of water in Somers Bay. They were taken there years ago for processing at a mill, which burned in the mid-20th century.