Winter lake operations under way

SANDPOINT — Flexible winter power operations are now a fact of life on Lake Pend Oreille.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, at the request of the Bonneville Power Administration, has been storing water in the lake since mid- to late-December for potential release later this winter.

The corps said on Thursday that the level of the lake should be relatively stable through the weekend, and then begin to slowly rise next week. The rate of the rise will likely be about a tenth of a foot per day.

The lake, as measured at the gauge in Hope, was at 2,052.9 feet on Thursday. On Friday, dam operators measured the lake level at 2,053.03 feet.

Last month, the corps agreed to implement BPA’s flexible winter power operations plan, which involves strategically raising and lowering the lake between 2,051 and 2,056 feet between December and March to meet regional power demands. The fluctuation is limited to a half a foot per day.

Michael Milstein, a BPA spokesman, said the agency is currently shooting for the midpoint of the 5-foot operating range — between 2,053 to 2,054 feet.

“If the water’s available, we’ll fill to about that (elevation) and then we’ll watch the situation and depending on the weather and so forth stay around there until we see value in storing or releasing,” said Milstein.

The water could be released, for instance, if an arctic weather system moves into the region or if a transmission line goes down.

“The goal is just to have the opportunity to make use of that space when it would benefit the region in terms of delivering some power when it’s most important,” Milstein said.

Flexible winter operations is seen as boon for power consumers in the Pacific and Inland Northwest, although the BPA proposal has drawn strong opposition from waterfront landowners and lake users in Bonner County. They fear it will undermine gains in rebuilding the lake’s kokanee population and damage shoreline infrastructure such as docks and water intakes.

There are also concerns that fluctuating the lake level will speed erosion in areas that are already sloughing away and facilitate the spread of noxious aquatic weeds such as flowering rush.

But BPA is hoping adverse impacts can be mitigated and is offering to direct $3 million in funding to the Idaho Department of Fish & Game to deal with erosion issues.

“We’re trying to both respect the local values and concerns, but at the same time make use of this resource,” Milstein said.