Lake levels to rise April 1
Amy Malkames captured this Best shot in the Garfield Bay area of Lake Pend Oreille taken in late summer/early fall. If you have a photo that you took that you would like to see run as a Best Shot or I Took The Bee send it in to the Bonner County Daily Bee, P.O. Box 159, Sandpoint, Idaho, 83864; or drop them off at 310 Church St., Sandpoint. You may also email your pictures in to the Bonner County Daily Bee along with your name, caption information, hometown and phone number to news@bonnercountydailybee.com.
(Photo courtesy AMY MALKAMES)
This is no April Fool’s joke — Lake Pend Oreille’s water levels will begin to go up April 1.
“The currently planned operation for April is to target a lake elevation of approximately 2,055 feet by the end of the month,” said Army Corps of Engineers project engineer David Varner. “The day-to-day rate of refill will vary based on changing inflows to Lake Pend Oreille.”
In the week following April 1, the elevation of the lake is expected to increase gradually to approximately 2,052 feet, subject to actual runoff and weather conditions, Varner said.
Lakes Commissions executive director Molly McCahon said the summer pool should see the lake rise slowly from 2,055 feet to around 2,062 feet. Because of the low snowpack the Panhandle has seen this year, McCahon said she predicts an earlier summer pool date than the lake has had in the past few years, but doesn’t want residents to hold fast to that expectation.
“The public should generally expect the summer pool on Lake Pend Oreille to be reached by June 15,” she said.