BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - Fort Peck Reservoir dropped to its lowest level in half a century Friday, the result of five consecutive years of drought and, in some opinions, politics.

Record lows may follow almost daily: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to double the current releases from Fort Peck Dam during the next three months.

The dam backs up the Missouri River for 135 miles, and the man-made lake drains 10,200 square miles.

The lake's record low, 2,208.7 feet elevation above sea level, was set in April 1991 and was matched Thanksgiving Day.

On Friday, the lake level was 2,208.6 feet, about 38 feet below full pool level of 2,246 feet.

That was its lowest since the lake was purposely drawn down in the 1950s to help fill the newly constructed Garrison Dam in North Dakota.

The corps almost doubled outflows in the past week, from about 4,600 cubic feet per second to 9,000 cfs, while inflows were 3,000 cfs.

According to people who live near the dam, and some others as well, partisan politics and the corps are equally to blame.

Area residents say the continually low lake levels in recent years have devastated businesses that depend on the lake to attract recreationists.

Bill Harris, of Winnett, has watched the edge of the lake creep farther and farther away from the end of his Crooked Creek Marina boat ramp almost every day since 1998.

Right now, he said, it's about a mile from the boat ramp to the water.

"When there's water out there, groups of people come every weekend. Now there's nobody in the summer or winter," Harris said.