Priest Lake level might be lowered

Drought conditions could result in a gradual drawdown of Priest Lake’s summer pool this year.

Idaho Department of Water Resources officials met Friday with local residents to discuss the water levels at the mountain lake, a popular destination for boaters, kayakers and anglers.

Priest Lake was just six-tenths of an inch under the preferred summer pool on Monday, which is set by state statute at 2,437.64 feet above sea level. But water levels could drop in the future if the tributaries flowing into the lake start to dry up, said Keith Franklin, an IDWR program manager.

“This is not a typical year,” said Franklin, referring to the dry, warm conditions that led to the early melting of sparse snowpacks in the Idaho Panhandle.

Priest Lake’s elevation is controlled by the Outlet Dam, which regulates flows from the lake into Priest River. The Department of Water Resources operates the dam to allow 60 cubic feet of water per second to flow into Priest River. Gary Spackman, IDWR’s director, is evaluating whether to cut back the amount of water flowing out of the lake.

It’s a dilemma, because Priest River is experiencing historic low flows. The river is flowing at about 200 cubic feet per second where it empties into the Pend Oreille River, compared with the 600 cubic feet per second that is more typical for this time of year.