Lake Roosevelt Too Low For Inchelium Ferry

A continuing drawdown of Lake Roosevelt has shut down the Inchelium-Gifford ferry for two weeks up to a month, but it will not cause the Kettle Falls cataract to reappear.

Bureau of Reclamation spokesman Craig Sprankle said he has received numerous inquiries about the submerged waterfall because the reservoir is being drained to its lowest level since 1980 to accommodate this year’s expected extra-large runoff.

The waterfall, once the second-most-productive salmon fishery in the Northwest, hasn’t been visible since 1974 when Lake Roosevelt was lowered to an elevation of 1,157 feet for construction of the third powerhouse at Grand Coulee Dam. This year’s drawdown will be to 1,208 feet, and the waterfall is below 1,200 feet elevation, Sprankle said.

However, some structures from the abandoned towns of Marcus and Kettle Falls (now relocated on higher ground) may be visible, Grand Coulee Dam manager Steve Clark said.