Albeni Dam Pulls Cork As Water Rises Open Floodgates Help Prevent Lake Pend Oreille From Filling

For the first time in 14 years, the floodgates at Albeni Falls Dam are wide open to keep a gush of water from filling up Lake Pend Oreille.

Melting snow and rain have poured into the lake at a near-record pace this year. To keep the lake from rising too fast, and leave room for more spring runoff, engineers were forced to open the floodgates last month.

“It’s fairly rare to have to do that,” said Tom Schmidt, chief of operations at the dam. “The flows are coming early and hard. We have water all over the place this year.”

The rush of water pouring through the dam also raised the Pend Oreille River higher than normal for this time of year. That prompted calls to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from some riverfront residents.

“It’s higher than they have seen it in a few years and it makes them nervous, but it’s been a lot higher than this before,” Schmidt said. “Most just want to know what’s going on, but we had a few gripes from folks who want to work on docks.”

The city of Oldtown, just below the dam, put in new docks last year. They were pulled out for the winter and city officials hoped to have them back in at the end of the month along with a new concrete ramp.

“Until the river comes down, there is no way we can do it. It’s just too high and fast,” said City Clerk Sheila Gormley.

The increased flows have not caused flooding on the river or lake. Some smaller streams have backed up and spilled over the banks, including one in the Clark Fork area.

The dam’s floodgates have been open for three weeks and the lake just now is reaching its normal spring height of 2,057 feet above sea level. Schmidt expects the gates to remain open another week before the corps allows the lake to start filling again.

“Basically the river channel has control of the flow right now, just like it would have before the dam was built,” he said.

By mid-June the lake should reach its summer level of 2,062 feet.

Lakeshore residents and marina operators wouldn’t mind seeing the lake fill early, though, giving them access to their docks and extending the boating season.

But federal regulations won’t allow the corps to do that.

“We have to make sure we have enough capacity to handle the rest of the spring runoff,” Schmidt said. “We could get another big shot of water and have to be careful about how we fill the lake.”

The high flows come right in the midst of Sandpoint’s annual K&K Fishing Derby. Although it may have helped some boaters get access to the lake, it hasn’t helped the fishing, said Bobbie Natschke at Holiday Shores Marina.

“Because so much water is being released so quick there’s a strong current. It’s made it difficult for boaters,” she said.

The lake also hasn’t had a chance to warm up, and incoming water has muddied some bays.

Because of swift currents, Schmidt warned boaters to be cautious above and below the dam. For the curious, he said the best place to view the unusual spill is from shore or recreation and turnout areas along U.S. Highway 2.

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