Have you ever wondered why is Lake Pend Oreille so low?

Do you enjoy Lake Pend Oreille? Have you ever noticed that the water level rises and falls depending on the time of year?

Until the middle of the 20th century, that would happen naturally. But nowadays, it’s not a natural occurrence. It’s manmade.

The Army Corps of Engineers, which operates the Albeni Falls Dam near Priest River, draws down the lake’s water level at its whim. It has the right to draw down the water levels — but not to such a great extent, or so often, as it has in recent years. Used to be that it only went down so far, and in the colder months. These days, things are different.

The law governing Lake Pend Oreille’s water level is the Flood Control Act of 1950, which authorized the construction of Albeni Falls Dam. That law states that the Army Corps of Engineers needs to follow the recommendations of Senate Document No. 9. It’s Senate Document No. 9 that says when, and how much, the lake should be drawn down.

What is Senate Document No. 9?

Senate Document No. 9 is a 69 page-long report on the Albeni Falls Dam that Army Corps of Engineers district engineer, Col. L. H. Hewitt, wrote in 1947. It gave the background and reasoning of why the Albeni Falls Dam should be constructed, and how it should be maintained in order to benefit the area. He sent his report up his chain of command, and eventually it made it all the way to the Department of War (now the Department of Defense). In 1949, it was sent to the U.S. Senate’s Committee on Public Works, where it became known as Senate Document No. 9.

In his report, Col. Hewitt repeatedly wrote that Lake Pend Oreille should be kept at 2,062.5 feet above mean sea level. Keep in mind that this recommendation was not arrived at willy-nilly. It came as a result of his scientific calculations of how to best manage the proposed dam’s hydroelectric power production abilities and maintain the region’s economic, cultural, and environmental prosperity.

The Flood Control Act of 1950 came about largely because of the desire nationwide to increase hydroelectric power production and to mitigate harmful flooding. The intentions were good, and beneficial to residents of the Northwest.

The Army Corps of Engineers needed the states’ support to create this dam. The governor of Idaho (and state governors in nearby Washington and Oregon) had a say in whether or not, and how, the Albeni Falls Dam would be constructed and maintained — including the level of Lake Pend Oreille.

In a 1948 letter to the Army Corps of Engineers that is included as part of Senate Document No. 9, then-Governor C. A. Robins of Idaho focused on the beneficial aspects of the proposed dam project. Referring to Lake Pend Oreille, Gov. Robins wrote, “Scenically this lake region is a great asset to Idaho and anything less than prevention of unsightly condition on its shores would be tragic.” He made that statement with the lake water level of 2,062.5 feet in mind. Gov. Robins referred back to that water level later in his letter, writing, “That as heretofore determined and agreed upon the level of 2062.5 remains the point of maximum regulation to which the State of Idaho can agree.” It was that level which the best fisheries scientists in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon — and Col. Hewitt of the Army Corps of Engineers — had said would be most beneficial for fisheries. It was that level which would permit tremendous hydroelectric power production at the Albeni Falls Dam that would then benefit residents in the Northwest. And it was that level that would benefit the residents of Sandpoint, Clark Fork, and the immediate area through tourism, environmental preservation, water recreation, and flood mitigation.

Local residents also weighed in on the Albeni Falls Dam project before it was approved. As Senate Document No. 9 indicates, the Army Corps of Engineers held meetings about the level of Lake Pend Oreille in Sandpoint and Priest River in mid-June 1943. In August 1943 Sandpoint again hosted a meeting, this time by the U.S. House of Representatives committee responsible for irrigation and reclamation, where people had the opportunity to weigh in on the appropriate lake water level. Senate Document No. 9 notes that at those meetings, people were concerned with multiple benefits to people, such as scenic beauty, fisheries, power production, flood prevention, and so on. The Albeni Falls Dam project was supposed to help the people of the area. On this all parties agreed. Over the course of the public meetings, and with the state’s input, Col. Hewitt arrived at his recommendation of a water level of 2062.5 feet.

That level was so important to the Albeni Falls Dam project that in Col. Hewitt’s conclusion — the bottom-line result of 69 pages’ worth of research, analysis, and discussion by three governors, multiple scientists, and the Army Corps of Engineers’ chain of command all the way from the local district up to the Pentagon, and years of meetings with state officials and the public — Col. Hewitt again specified 2,062.5 feet as the necessary level of Lake Pend Oreille. He wrote, “I recommend adoption of the Albeni Falls Dam project substantially as set forth herein, consisting of a dam and reservoir to normal elevation 2062.5 feet.”

Col. Hewitt also specified that the lake would be drawn down in the late fall and winter only — not in the summer. Gov. Robins reiterated the point in his 1948 letter when he cited the Idaho Department of Fish and Game’s endorsement of the project which read, “...this project would benefit the present fishery in Pend Oreille Lake by stabilizing and enlarging the lake level during the summer months...It is our understanding that the lake will be drawn down during the late fall and winter months….”

Now that you know more about why Lake Pend Oreille is supposed to be at 2062.5 feet all summer long, does it make any sense that the Army Corps of Engineers has continually broken the law as set out in Senate Document No. 9 and the Flood Control Act of 1950 by drawing it down during the summer? Should Sandpoint and Bonners County residents be forced to suffer while a federal agency ignores the law that our predecessors agreed upon with our local, state, and federal governments?

To read Senate Document No. 9 for yourself, visit SavePendOreille.org and click on the Documents link. For more information about how to join the Lake Pend Oreille Alliance’s fight to preserve the 2,062.5 feet lake water level, go to SavePendOreille.org to donate or volunteer today.