Post Falls Dam up for discussion

Avista Utilities and a federal agency representing the Coeur d’Alene Tribe will argue next week about how to manage the dam that regulates the level of Lake Coeur d’Alene.

An administrative law judge will hear testimony next week and rule in January whether tribal demands must be met for the Spokane company to renew its license for Post Falls Dam

The dam is the first of five that Avista operates as part of its Spokane River project. The electricity is sold to regional electricity users.

Avista, which needs a renewed license by next August, is trying to navigate the changing needs of various interest groups, including homeowners, businesses, boaters, conservationists, and perhaps most importantly, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, which has ancestral interests in lake-water quality and has steadily gained a stronger political hand over the past few decades.

Avista fears that meeting the tribal demands — which include such things as stream restoration and fish-count studies, protection of tribal artifacts and payment for water erosion from boat wakes and high water levels — could cost the regulated utility $400 million over the next 50 years. The money, the company maintains, would have to be charged to its regional ratepayers.

The tribe has called Avista’s cost estimate excessive and a raw attempt to pit ratepayers against tribal interests.

The administrative law judge’s findings could be included in the new license.