Pend Oreille floods likely, says corps

Flooding is likely this spring along Lake Pend Oreille and the Pend Oreille River as a result of heavy rains and a large snowpack, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Snowpack levels upstream of Lake Pend Oreille range from 152 percent of normal in the Upper Clark Fork Basin to 182 percent of normal in the Flathead Basin. The forecast is for cooler than normal temperatures through June with continued higher than normal precipitation through May.

Corps officials are planning water releases through Albeni Falls Dam, which impounds Lake Pend Oreille and the Pend Oreille River. The dam will be operated to minimize flooding, but downstream communities of Cusick, Newport and Usk, Wash., could be affected by high water.

The normal maximum elevation for Lake Pend Oreille during the summer is between 2,062.0 and 2,062.5 feet above sea level.

Lake levels could peak up to 3 ½ feet above the normal summer maximum elevation, with outflows exceeding 100,000 cubic feet per second, said Joel Fenolio, Upper Columbia senior water manager.

Water levels in the lake are currently at 2,055 and 2,055.5 feet above sea level.

In related news, corps officials have scheduled a 7 p.m. Monday meeting at the Kootenai River Inn in Bonners Ferry to discuss Libby Dam’s 2011 operations.