Opposition builds against BPA proposal

SANDPOINT — Opposition to a Bonneville Power Administration plan to fluctuate the level of Lake Pend Oreille by as much as 5 feet this winter is, to borrow a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers slogan, “building strong.”

The corps, which has the final say on the request, held a public meeting Tuesday where the BPA request was filleted by landowners, anglers and other concerned citizens as a threat to water quality and a host of shoreline infrastructure such as docks and water intakes.

The proposal is particularly irksome to the Pend Oreille Basin Commission, which is alarmed that no studies have been conducted to determine whether a fluctuating winter lake level will wreak havoc in Idaho.

“Give us a rationale for why anybody in this region should support this,” said Commission Chairman Ford Elsaesser, who argues the proposal amounts to an experiment that could have disastrous consequences.

The corps was unable Tuesday to point to any existing studies which might support BPA request and there was deep skepticism that a meaningful analysis could be done by the time the corps makes a decision sometime this month or next month.

Corps officials emphasized that they will not embark on an operations plan that will damage kokanee spawning grounds or property.

Amy Reese of the corps’ water management section in Seattle told the crowd of about 70 people that the plan will be halted if it receives verified damage reports.

“We’re in the information-gathering phase and I truly mean that,” Reese added.

BPA, which markets the power generated by federal hydroelectric projects in the Columbia Basin, asked the corps in September to use Albeni Falls Dam to raise and lower the lake level between 2,051 and 2,056 feet above sea level once Pend Oreille kokanee are done spawning.

Under the proposal, the dam would be operated with minimum and maximum outflows and the lake level would only be allowed to rise or fall a half a foot per day.

Tony Norris, an operations planner for BPA, said water could be strategically stored and released in Lake Pend Oreille to benefit downstream power generation, water management and chum salmon below Bonneville Dam.

“This is a very valuable tool to meet regional power demands,” Norris said.

But Elsaesser challenged the need for power in light of the recessionary impacts on energy consumption and said chum salmon will get the water regardless.

The proposal has also raised concern that it will lead to increased erosion and nutrient loading in near-shore zones via sedimentation. To address those concerns, Total Maximum Daily Loads will be monitored in those areas. Erosion will be monitored through bank pins, a form of radar analysis and aerial photography.

There is also concern raising and lowering the lake level will cause ice to uproot pilings, rout docks and boat hoists, and sever water intake lines.

Moreover, proposal opponents pointed out that the Albeni Falls Dam is unique from other projects in the basin because it is a multiple-use facility that takes into account all water uses on Lake Pend Oreille, not just power generation.

“You have an obligation to consider these rights,” said waterfront landowner and developer Ralph Sletager.