Commission seeking lake level certainties

DOVER — The Idaho Lakes Commission is refining a position document that’s meant to bring certainty to the management of water levels in Lake Pend Oreille.

The commission is pushing strongly for a default recreation season that keeps the lake at full pool through the end of September with no more than 1 foot drawn down before Oct. 1.

Commission Chairman Ford Elsaesser recognizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bonneville Power Administration have concerns about setting such benchmarks, but remains optimistic.

“Certainly, we could come to a definitive agreement on September. I think that’s an achievable goal,” Elsaesser said on Tuesday.

The commission is also holding strong in its opposition to a proposal to use releases from the lake in late summer or early fall to cool bull trout habitat in the Pend Oreille River below Albeni Falls Dam.

 However, that threat appears to have been eliminated by an amendment to a memorandum of agreement between the corps, BPA and the Kalispel Tribe. The parties to that agreement resolved to find other ways to improve bull trout habitat.

The commission has raised doubts that the lake’s water could meaningfully aid bull trout recovery. Aside from that issue, however, Elsaesser said the commission and the tribe are agreement with respect to conservation issues.

“We are basically arm-in-arm with the Kalispels,” Elsaesser said.

The commission is also opposing a deep drawdown of 2,051 feet above sea level as a default winter setting. The lake has been kept at a higher winter pool for the past 15 years or so to aid kokanee spawning, but that strategy has recently been shown to be ineffective.

But the commission argues a higher winter pool should be maintained because it helps keep the lake accessible year-round, which is a boon to the local economy.

“We think the economic vitality of this community is as important as holding up kokanee numbers. We think, as a community, they’re equivalent,” said Commissioner Brent Baker.

The commission is seeking funding to conduct a comprehensive economic impact study, which will provide vital empirical evidence to supports its arguments.

“We all know anecdotally what a huge impact the lake has on the community, but we really don’t have the numbers to back it up,” said Elsaesser.

The commission is further urging the lake to be drawn up more quickly in the spring, especially when it’s determined the flood risks are minimal or nonexistent in light of snowpack monitoring and forecasts.

“We should be able to get to a summer pool level quicker based on how much snow’s coming down (off the mountains),” said Commissioner Craig Hill.

Vigilance on lake level issues will likely remain a full-time requirement due to downstream demands for Pend Oreille water for power generation or fishery issues, Elsaesser said.

“I don’t think that’s ever going to stop or diminish,” he said.