Pact preserves summer pool on Pend Oreille

SANDPOINT — Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter announced an agreement Monday with federal resource managers that is meant to bring certainty to the summer recreation season on Lake Pend Oreille.

The agreement between the state and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bonneville Power Administration holds within the summer operating range of 2,062 to 2,062.5 feet above sea level through the third Sunday in September or Sept. 18, whichever date is later.

The agreement also states that reasonable efforts will be made to be above 2,061 feet through the fourth Sunday in September or Sept. 25, whichever date is later, and to hold a stable pool for the annual Head of the Pend Oreille Regatta in Priest River.

“Working with our state, federal and tribal partners, as well as the many local citizens who commented on proposed lake operations, I am pleased to say that we have achieved a new process going forward that I think will maintain and enhance the scenic and recreational value of Lake Pend Oreille,” Otter said in a statement.

Otter said the pact would give the public greater certainty about summer lake levels and the time of any necessary drawdowns for flood control or other purposes.

The agreement also ensures that kokanee spawning grounds near the shoreline will not be left high and dry and protects habitat for downstream bull trout, Otter added.

Ford Elsaesser, chairman of the Pend Oreille Basin Commission, said the new arrangement shows that goodwill and collaboration among many parties with diverse interests can yield positive results.

“Coordination and cooperation got us to where we are today. These new operations reflect the economic value our region derives from increased recreation on the lake,” Elsaesser said in a news release.

The agreement also addresses spring refill operations, which are primarily conducted for flood control. Under the agreement the lake will continue to be refilled to 2,062 feet in mid to late June depending on flood risk, forecasts and snowpack conditions in the basin.

The agreement follows a controversial proposal raised by the Kalispel Tribe, corps and BPA to use releases from the lake in late summer and early autumn to cool the Pend Oreille River for the benefit of bull trout.

The proposal stirred outrage in the community and intensified clamoring for certainty in drawdown and refill operations at Albeni Falls Dam. The proposal was withdrawn last fall in favor of alternative efforts to improve native bull trout habitat below the dam.

The early summer drawdown proposal, in addition to a BPA project to fluctuate the winter lake level to maximize power generation helped lead to the formation of the Lake Pend Oreille Alliance, which pushed back against downstream requests for water.

Bill Booth, an Idaho member of the Northwest Power & Conservation Council, represented the governor and helped facilitate the agreement.

“The high level of public involvement by the Lakes Commission and the Lake Pend Oreille Alliance was crucial to the effort, as was the willingness of the Kalispel Tribe and federal agencies to consider alternatives for downstream bull trout protection,” Booth said. “These were the keys to success.”