Kootenai exceeds flood stage; dam has little space left

BONNERS FERRY — When it rains it pours.

Not only did the Kootenai River exceed flood stage today, but conditions do not look much better for the remainder of the week as the reservoir behind the Libby dam only has 6.5 feet free board space left and another 2 inches of rain is predicted for Tuesday, said Boundary County Incident Commander Bob Graham on Monday morning.

The Kootenai River exceeded flood stage at 2 a.m., Graham said.

The river is expected to rise a bit higher today, he added.

The Kootenai River is expected to stay at or above flood stage until the coming weekend.

By this weekend, the Libby Dam is expected to have only 2 feet of space left in its reservoir, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.

Boundary County Commissioners are asking all boaters on the river above Bonners Ferry to observe a no-wake zone.