By Soncirey Mitchell
Reader Staff
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began the spring refill of Lake Pend Oreille on April 1, with the goal of raising the water from the average winter levels between 2,051 and 2,052 feet to 2,055 feet by the end of the month. Outflow from the Albeni Falls Dam has slowly decreased from 20,000 to 10,000 cubic feet per second as of April 1.
Typically, the lake begins refilling in early April and reaches peak summer levels in mid-June to early July.
“It always varies depending on weather conditions and snowpack,” Leon Basdekas, Upper Columbia Senior Water Manager for the Corps, told the Reader. “It’s a dry year for snowpack, but we often have big rain events on top of the existing snowpack, so we monitor everything closely until the flood risk has passed.”
The Corps lowers Lake Pend Oreille each winter in an effort to mitigate soil erosion and flood risk; generate additional power at downstream dams; and to provide optimal habitat for spawning fish such as indigenous kokanee and bull trout, the latter of which is listed as a threatened species in all of its known habitats, including Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.
Those interested in the status of the lake and its fish populations should attend the State of the Lake meeting, hosted by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game’s Panhandle Regional office, on Thursday, April 4 from 6-8 p.m. at the Ponderay Events Center (401 Bonner Way). The event includes a question-and-answer session and presentation by IDFG staff on upcoming 2024 fishery activities.
“The State or the Lake is focused on all species, with a particular emphasis on game-fish species,” said Carson Watkins, Panhandle Regional Supervisor for IDFG. “It’s really just an update on our management programs, the tributary work that’s been done to improve habitats and fishery projects.”
There’s no need to register — interested parties can simply attend or watch a recording of this and past presentations on idfg.idaho.gov under “Lake Pend Oreille Fisheries.”
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