Priest Lake Outlet Dam and Thorofare construction moves forward
Idaho Water Resource Board announced this week that it is to move forward with construction of Priest Lake Outlet Dam and Thorofare.
COOLIN – The Idaho Water Resource Board has given Strider Construction the green light to proceed with the Priest Lake Water Management project, officials said.
The contractor was selected to enhance the Priest Lake Outlet Dam structure and replace the Thorofare Breakwater at the north end of the lake.
Based in Bellingham, Wash., Strider Construction was the low-bidder on both projects. The board’s existing design/engineering contractor, Mott MacDonald, will serve as the construction manager for the project.
Construction is scheduled to begin in early November and finish in spring 2021. Priest Lake waterfront owners and boat owners are encouraged to remove their boats and docks in September as a 3-foot drawdown will occur, beginning Oct. 1, to lower the lake level for construction activities. Public boat ramps may become unusable by mid-October.
“We want to make sure that Priest Lake waterfront owners and boat owners know that the drawdown will be occurring earlier in October than normal,” said Doug Jones, regional manager for the Idaho Department of Water Resources in Coeur d’Alene. “Please plan ahead.”
In recent weeks, Bonner County Commissioners provided an additional $100,000 for the Priest Lake Management Project and the Friends of the Thorofare provided $25,000 in direct and in-kind contributions.
“I’m really excited to move on to the construction phase of the project,” said Dale Van Stone of Hope, an Idaho Water Resource Board member who represents Northern Idaho. “This whole project has been a great partnership between Bonner County, Friends of the Thorofare, the Lakes Commission, the Water Board, and the Idaho Legislature. I think everything has come together pretty well.”
Van Stone also wanted to give special thanks to former State Sen. Shawn Keough, former co-chair of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, for spearheading legislative support and funding for the Priest Lake project.
Craig Hill, owner of Hill's Resort, lifelong Priest Lake resident and Lakes Commission board member, had this to say about the Priest Lake Water Management project, “These improvements to the Thorofare breakwater and dam will benefit Priest Lake visitors and residents for years to come.”
On Aug. 20, the IWRB voted to set aside a total of $5 million for the construction phase of the project.
The Priest Lake Water Management Project is being built to give water managers more flexibility in managing lake levels in drought years. State law requires that Priest Lake be maintained at full pool during the summer months for recreation and tourism activities. The new outlet dam will provide more flexibility in lake-level management during the spring and summer months to maintain the full pool while also providing flows for Priest River below the dam.
Information: https://idwr.idaho.gov/lake-management