Flexible ops underway on Pend Oreille

SANDPOINT — The level of Lake Pend Oreille could raise by more than 2 feet by month’s end, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced on Wednesday.

Corps water managers did not anticipate implementing flexible winter power operations due to an upstream bank stabilization project on the Pend Oreille River at Laclede. However, warmer temperatures thawed out the project’s access road, which led to the imposition of weight restrictions that halted work on the project, according to the corps.

During the bank stabilization project, the level of the lake was held at 2,052 feet above sea level as measured at the Hope gauge.

Flexible winter ops allow the lake to fluctuate between 2,051-2,056 feet, although corps officials said a specific elevation has not been targeted.

Any water stored in the lake may be used for power generation later in the season.

Moreover, the Bonneville Power Administration asked for water to be stored behind the Albeni Falls Dam to aid a Bureau of Reclamation project to conduct maintenance on the drum gate structure at Grand Coulee Dam in Washington state. The project involves overhauling and maintaining the 11 drum gates at Grand Coulee that help control the elevation of Lake Roosevelt.

The drum gates are 75 years old and are in need of significant maintenance, according to the bureau.

The outflow at Albeni Falls was measured at 19,500 cubic feet per second on Wednesday. The outflow rate is expected to decrease over the week to accommodate BPA’s request. The corps anticipates the lake will rise 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 feet above the current elevation by the end of February.

The lake’s elevation was 2,052.15 feet on Wednesday evening, according to the National Weather Service.