Army Corps began Lake Pend Oreille refill March 28

SANDPOINT — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Thursday that the spring refill of Lake Pend Oreille began March 28.

USACE typically starts raising the lake’s water level in early April and stabilizes the elevation in June. Staff noted in a March 27 press release that USACE plans to manage the lake at the normal elevation band of 2062-2062.5 feet this summer. 

Officials noted that it’s “too early” to determine when Lake Pend Oreille will reach its summer pool, but that they expect to achieve the mark once flood risks have subsided. They added that staff will consider Albeni Falls Dam’s current limitations as they navigate the refill. 

Eleven months ago, USACE announced that a metal defect had been discovered in one of the dam’s spillway gates during a routine inspection. Staff removed the flawed gate and temporarily installed the facility’s lone replacement gate in its place. 

While Gate No. 3 receives a treatment that will restore its functionality, operators are minimizing gate movement. USACE is also working toward replacing the 11 spillway gates at the site — all of which are original to the 1955 structure. 

USACE natural resources chief Taylor Johnson announced in January that a design for replacement gates is expected to be completed in July. USACE plans to install the new gates stepwise over the course of several years, beginning in 2027. 

USACE representatives will host a pair of information sessions at 6 p.m. May 1 at Ponderay Events Center, 401 Bonner Mall Way, Suite E, Ponderay; and at 9 a.m. May 2 at Camas Center for Community Wellness, 1821 North LeClerc Road, No. 5, Cusick, Wash. 

The events will center on the spring refill, the area’s snowpack and projected inflows and the spillway gate replacement project.