Army Corps awards contract to replace all 11 Albeni Falls Dam gates
March 18, 2026
Spring lake refill to start April 1
By Reader Staff
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shared big news for operations on Lake Pend Oreille, announcing March 18 that a contract of nearly $20.4 million had been awarded Feb. 26 to Deer Park, Wash.-based Knight Construction & Supply Inc. to replace all 11 spillway gates at Albeni Falls Dam.
Engineers discovered delamination in the steel of the dam’s spillway gates in 2023 and have since undertaken repair and replacement measures for all of the 70-year-old gates.
According to the Corps’ online information page related to the spillway gate project, the contract was advertised on Aug. 29, 2025. Following the award of the contract to Knight Construction, officials stated that the first of the new gates would arrive on-site in 2027.
Subsequent gates are expected to arrive in six-month intervals, “dependent on industry capability at the time,” the Corps stated.
Albeni Falls Dam on the Pend Oreille River, which controls the level of Lake Pend Oreille. Photo courtesy U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Located in Oldtown, the dam functions to ensure flood risk management, hydropower generation and recreational opportunities on the lake through seasonal fluctuations in water levels.
Meanwhile, the Corps announced it will begin the gradual spring refill of Lake Pend Oreille on Wednesday, April 1, managing 2026 summer lake levels within the normal summer elevation band of 2,062-2,062.5 feet, as measured near Hope.
Officials stated that while it’s still too early in the year to establish a set date for when the lake will reach full summer pool, they expect to achieve normal levels “once any major flood risk has subsided, while also considering the current limitations of the spillway gates.”
All recreation areas managed by the Corps will open as scheduled for the 2026 season, with Riley Creek Recreation Area open on May 9, and Albeni Cove, Priest River and Springy Point recreation areas open on May 16.
USACE representatives will share additional details on spring refill at a public meeting from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, May 7 at the Sandpoint Center (414 Church St.).
Other discussion topics will include restricted operations, spillway gate replacement project updates, recreation area updates, and forecasts for snowpack and inflows.
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