Priest Lake Outlet Dam postponed

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The Idaho Water Resource Board has decided to postpone construction for the Priest Lake Outlet Dam.

The decision was made in large part due to safety concerns, as heightened water levels in the spring could risk breaking the dam and endanger workers, said Doug Jones, Idaho Water Resource Board northern regional manager. Another factor considered was construction delays that neither the IDWR nor the contractor had anticipated.

Some of those delays were due to COVID-19 impacting not only construction on-site, but the contractor’s ability to procure materials, some custom-made, Jones said.

The work, which is being done by Strider Construction, will be finalized next fall and winter, according to an email from Molly McCahon, Lakes Commission executive director.

Construction workers have already completed a new and improved thoroughfare to approach upper Priest Lake, Jones said. Now there’s just the work on the dam to be completed.

“There’s one area where you can look through the trees and see the dam [on Highway 57],” he said. “[Visitors will] be able to see some remnants of some infrastructure that we’ve put in and we’ll leave in.”

That infrastructure may be somewhat unsightly, he said, but he believes ultimately worth it for long-term gain.

Stopping construction now will also mean fewer complications for visitors, Jones said.

“It will be easier to operate the dam normally and in a manner that many of the local reactionists and visitors expected,” he said. “This was a logical halfway point [to stop].”

The aim of the construction is to eventually manage lake levels between 3.1 to 3.2 feet, according to previous reporting by the Bee.

Previously, the lake has reached heights of 3.6 feet. It is also being constructed to help with water management in drought years, as state law requires the lake to be maintained at full pool during the summer months for recreation. The construction will provide flow for the Priest River below the dam.

For most people, the construction delay will mean business as normal, Jones said — visitors are unlikely to notice any changes at all.

“I think the largest impact will be to our wonderful adjoining landowners who entered into an easement agreement with us to utilize their property to accomplish this important task,” Jones said.