BPA: Shifting lake level won't harm kokanee spawning beds
SANDPOINT — Raising and dropping Pend Oreille’s winter lake level in five-foot increments could damage docks and moorings, something the Army Corps of Engineers and the Bonner Power Administration are aware of as they prepare for a new lake level plan.
Coming in the wake of a 10-year salmon study, the two entities will coordinate with Idaho Fish and Game to assure lake levels remain high enough to cover kokanee spawning beds, John Tyler of BPA said.
Once the fall spawning season ends, the entities will determine how much water to hold in the lake to cover eggs and provide for winter energy needs.
“The proposal is to increase to the five-foot range, which increases BPA’s ability to generate hydroelectricity in times of high demand during winter months,” Tyler said. “It’s kind of an insurance policy.”
Raising and dropping lake levels five feet at a time concerns marina and lakefront property owners who wonder if the fluctuating winter levels will damage docks, piling and watercraft.
“Everybody likes power,” said Kim Woodruff, who manages Sandpoint’s park and recreation program and is charged with maintaining the city’s Windbag Marina. “I hope they take into consideration the need to balance that with the needs of the local population,” Woodruff said.
When the winter lake level is low and the water freezes, it could damage infrastructure if the Corps raises the level, he said.
The corps operates Albeni Falls Dam, which regulates the level of Lake Pend Oreille.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said.
The reverse scenario is also a concern.
“If you have frozen ice and they drop it, what happens?” Woodruff said. “I don’t know.”
According to the proposal, the corps will fluctuate the level from January to the end of March.
“Basically, we have a window of opportunity for fluctuation of the pool,” Nola Leyde, spokesperson for the Army Corps of Engineers said. “This is basically for power. The earlier phase is for kokanee spawning.”
Before a plan is implemented, the corps will publish an environmental assessment.
“The draft will be presented to the community this summer,” Leyde said. “We realize this is a big issue with an impact to a lot of people.”
Stakeholders include property owners, marina owners and managers as well as local Indian tribes concerned that a low pool could expose artifacts. Fishery managers and agencies monitoring the lake’s environmental quality are working in conjunction with the BPA.
“Sheets of ice moving back and forth may erode the shore,” Leyde said. “If it’s doing that, it could affect spawning areas.”
Because an open house meeting last week at the Panhandle State Bank was sparsely attended, BPA may hold another meeting in June, Tyler said.
Once the draft assessment is completed the agencies will accept public comment on the plan, probably by next fall, he said.
“They will release a decision after they consider the comments,” Tyler said.