Agreement to keep Lake Pend Oreille full into Sept.

BOISE – Idaho Gov. Butch Otter says he’s reached an agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bonneville Power Administration to keep scenic Lake Pend Oreille full through the late summer and longer into September, averting the specter of drawdowns as early as August. “Working with our state, federal and tribal partners, as well as the many local citizens who commented on proposed lake operations, I am pleased to say that we have achieved a new process going forward that I think will maintain and enhance the scenic and recreational value of Lake Pend Oreille,” Otter said Monday. He added, “This will give the public greater certainty about summer lake levels and the timing of any necessary drawdowns for flood control or other purposes; in addition, meeting the objectives will ensure that kokanee spawning nests or ‘redds’ near the shoreline are not left high and dry, and habitat for bull trout downstream is protected.” The agreement covers operations of Albeni Falls Dam on the Pend Oreille River. While settling the issue of end-of-summer drawdowns, it doesn’t include any agreement to fill the lake more quickly in the spring. Federal authorities said flood-control factors are their top priority then. “Lake Pend Oreille will continue to be refilled to 2,060 feet in mid to late June depending on flood risk, forecasts, and snowpack conditions in the Pend Oreille River Basin,” the Corps and BPA wrote in a letter to Otter. “Any earlier attempts to refill the lake would increase flood risk both downstream and upstream of the dam. This risk is unacceptable to the Corps.” But there is a promise of keeping the lake at its summer operating level of 2,062 to 2,062.5 feet of elevation through the third Sunday in September, or Sept. 18, whichever date is later. The agencies also promised to make “reasonable efforts” to keep it above 2,061 feet through the fourth Sunday in September or Sept. 25, and to hold a stable pool for the popular Pend Oreille River Regatta college crew event that weekend. “We feel very good, I think, about what we’ve been able to accomplish,” said Ford Elsaesser, chairman of the Pend Oreille Basin Commission, also known as the Lakes Commission. “We now have a firm understanding of what the September situation is going to be.” And that’s the month the area often has its best weather, he said. The agreement also calls for public meetings each year, in April and August, to discuss seasonal dam operations. Numerous groups were involved in working toward the agreement, which has been in the works for 10 months. Elsaesser said, “Coordination and cooperation got us to where we are today. These new operations reflect the economic value our region derives from increased recreation on the lake.” Bill Booth of Coeur d’Alene, an Idaho member of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, represented the governor in the talks leading to the agreement. “The high level of public involvement by the Lakes Commission and the Lake Pend Oreille Alliance was crucial to the effort, as was the willingness of the Kalispel Tribe and federal agencies to consider alternatives for downstream bull trout protection,” Booth said. Albeni Falls Dam, which is operated by the Corps of Engineers, controls the level of Lake Pend Oreille; the BPA sells electricity generated at the dam.