Army Corps expects 2,057-ft. lake level by Memorial Day

By Ben Olson
Reader Staff

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Colonel Kathryn Sanborn visited Albeni Falls Dam near Oldtown on May 21 to tour the site and answer questions about spillway operations that have delayed the lake reaching summer pool level.

After flaws were discovered in April 2024 as part of a major gate rehabilitation contract initiated in June 2023, the U.S. Army Corps removed spillway gate No. 3 on May 14, and reduced powerhouse flows to mitigate flood risks that might arise during storm events in the near future.

“We have a good level of confidence that we’ll get to 2,057 feet by Memorial Day,” Sanborn told the Reader. “Our goal — very important to note that it’s a goal — is to be at [summer pool] 2,062 feet by the end of June. But I don’t want to overpromise … conditions with respect to the runoff can require us to adjust that goal and we’ll be in communication as we have to make those adjustments.”

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Colonel Kathryn Sanborn answers questions about spillway operations with Albeni Falls Dam in the background. Photo by Ben Olson.

Sanborn said a multitude of factors play into reaching full lake elevation for the summer, including balancing water storage, peak inflow passage, real-time weather, streamflow and flood risks.

“It’s in our favor that we don’t have a lot of snowmelt to try to manage,” she added. “We’re not as worried as we might be on a regular snow year about how quickly it is going to warm up.”

Sanborn said the hardest part of managing the inflow is when spring rain falls on snow, which quickly melts snowpack and releases an uncontrollable amount of water. Also, heavy spring rains add considerably more water volume to the area, and when it falls on snow while the ground is still frozen, it doesn’t seep in, elevating flood risks.

“There’s no model for predicting rain on snow,” Sanborn said. “It’s something we’ll have to continue to monitor and will definitely be a part of our equation as we figure out managing the water in the future while we also manage this infrastructure situation and work through the restricted operations.”

Sanborn said after the spillway gate was pulled and replaced with a spare maintenance gate, contractors stripped away the paint and found a metal defect. Because the gates are original from the 1950s when the dam was built, Sanborn said the need to perform a closer inspection of all the gates was paramount, since they are made of the same metal and endured the same wear and tear as the defective gate.

“We have subject matter experts from the Army Corps Center of Expertise for Welding that observed this metal defect … in a critical portion of the gate that could lead to a fracture of the gate, which would be a catastrophic failure of the gate,” Sanborn said. “The gate would no longer function as a gate in the dam and it would happen with little to no warning. The impact would be very, very quick once it started to fracture, and there would be no way to stop it and control or manage that water flow.”

Under normal operations, the spillway gates could be moved at the same time as others, and might only open or close slightly to reach the desired level. Under restricted operations — as the dam is now — gates are only moved one at a time and, when they are moved, they are moved all the way open or all the way closed.

“The movement of the gate, given what we’re seeing for the metal defect, is really where we run the highest risk of that metal failure,” Sanborn said.

Local business owners and recreational enthusiasts have lamented the delay in reaching the summer pool, claiming the delay will have a detrimental effect on the local economy.

“You can guarantee a few of us are going to end up bankrupt if we miss out on July and miss out on our summer guests — the Canadians and all the folks that live on the lake and use it as an amenity,” said Justin Dick, who owns Trinity at City Beach, which just announced it would reopen for the season (see Page 15 for more on that story). 

“We had the worst winter in years and most hospitality and service businesses have been dying since President’s Day,” Dick added.

Pam Auletta, who owns and operates the Hope Marina with her husband Rick, said the delayed summer pool along with cooler-than-average temperatures have also affected their business, as well as the seasonal waterfront rentals they operate.

“If I was a private owner and resident on the lake and paying 12 months of land taxes and I only got two months of water, I’d be the first one screaming,” she told the Reader. “It’s affecting us, but we do have deep water here year round, so I can juggle a little bit more. Sandpoint’s in the mud, though.”

District 1A Republican Rep. Mark Sauter toured the facility May 22 and said while he respects and appreciates the public safety issues involved, he is hoping for more options that can help the lake reach summer pool soon.

“For me, it’s property values,” Sauter told the Reader. “It’s our local economy. The uncertainty is the one thing that is harmful here.”

Sauter said a delayed summer pool level affects more than just boaters who are unable to access the lake.

“It’s the fuel they buy, the hotels, the vacation stays, restaurants, food purchases, you name it,” he said. “You know that old saying, ‘Our economy rises and falls with the level of the lake,’ and I believe that. … I talked to business owners on First Avenue the other day and there are places that are down 20% this year versus last year. I think we do have to have a concern and there should be some urgency to figure it out.”

When asked about rumors making the rounds on social media about Flathead Lake in Montana either “taking water” from Lake Pend Oreille or giving it from a surplus, Sanborn said there was no connection at all.

“I don’t think anything going on at Flathead Lake has anything to do with our situation here,” she said. “We’ve got nothing to do with it.”

Sanborn said one other reason the Army Corps is so cautious about instituting restricted operations after the malfunctions is because of the immense size of the basin from which inflows come to Lake Pend Oreille and then downstream to Albeni Falls Dam.

“We need to keep storage space available to guard against the potential for rain and snow events that can lead to sudden spring high inflows,” said Albeni Falls Dam Operating Project Manager Amanda Smith. “The basin is extremely large so there is a lot to consider when monitoring the conditions. These rain events can happen in any year, so we are being cautious during refill operations.”

“It was two years ago that Yellowstone had that significant storm event,” Sanborn added. “It doesn’t take but one storm in a single watershed to really be impactful to that entire water management chain.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has scheduled two public meetings, in Ponderay and Cusick, Wash., to inform the public about the current restricted dam operations. The Ponderay meeting will take place on Thursday, May 30 from 6-8 p.m. at the Ponderay Events Center. The Cusick meeting will be Friday, May 31 from 9-11 a.m. at the Camas Center for Community Wellness.

While the Corps recognizes that a later lake refill affects recreational opportunities and local economies, Sanborn said the No. 1 priority is always safety.

“Our primary consideration operating Albeni Falls Dam is to minimize risk to human life, health and safety, but we also work to meet the project’s other purposes, which include environmental stewardship, recreation and flood risk management.”