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KALISPELL - Flathead County leaders have incredibly detailed maps of the Flathead River and how it changes over the decades because of erosion and flooding for the first time ever, but the question now is what to do with that information.

Once emerging from the mountains at Columbia Falls, the Flathead River sets a meandering course before emptying into Flathead Lake and because the river is still free-flowing, that means its channel is set by the combination of erosion and flooding, especially during times of high water in the early summer.

The problem comes when people want to live where the river wants to flow.

Two new studies presented to the public for the first time on Tuesday night could give landowners and government leaders a better tool for predicting the course of the river over the next century.

The Flathead River Channel Migration Zone tracks the rates of lateral movement of the river across the valley floor, based on historic aerial photos. A Bathymetric study has also mapped the depth and velocity of the river, which should predict how erosion is impacting the main channel.

The new maps detail how the river has changed, especially since aerial mapping became available in the 1950s. The studies authors also showed how the maps also show how man-made structures like armored riverbanks are impacting the river.

The question becomes how will the county choose to use the information and if it will form the basis of future regulation much as happened in Washington and other states.

That complicated answer will require as many details as these new maps.