Libby Dam flow at historic level
Libby Dam in Montana is nearly half a foot from capacity, causing officials to send the largest flows from the spillway in the history of the dam, said Bonners Ferry Mayor Darrell Kerby.
As water roars out of the dam at 43,000 cubic feet second, water will crest slightly above the flood mark in Boundary County through most of today. Inflows into the Libby Dam reservoir are expected to slow this evening, and water behind the dam will lower to about two feet from full capacity, according to an update from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hydrologist Paul Koski.
“It’s usually about a 12-hour lag from the time they release (the water from the dam) until it gets here,” Kerby said.
Water can be released through the dam’s power house, where electricity is generated, at about 25,000 cubic feet per second, but massive inflows from rain and mountain runoff have forced dam operators to compensate by opening the spillway of the dam.
The forecast has been topsy-turvy for the last week, and Kerby said he hopes the latest predictions are the end of high water on the Kootenai River.
“All the forecasters are showing a drying trend,” he said, “so hopefully this is it.”
– Sam Taylor
Idaho
Pell Grants linked to rigorous classes
Idaho high school students who take rigorous classes may be eligible to receive additional Pell Grant money under a new federal law.
The State Board of Education this week approved criteria that will allow Idaho students to take advantage of an additional $2,050 in federal aid per student. The provision is part of the federal Academic Competitiveness Grant Program and allows states to set graduation criteria for what is considered “academically rigorous.”
In order to be eligible for the extra funding, students must take at least the number of credits required by Idaho colleges and universities for admission, including eight credits of English, six of math, five of social studies, two of humanities or foreign language, and three of performing arts or debate. Students must graduate with a 2.0 GPA and take either the ACT or SAT.
In addition, students must be Pell Grant eligible and be first- or second-year college students.
– From staff reports
Coeur d’Alene
NIC to shut down access to e-mails
North Idaho College’s e-mail system will be unavailable until June 23 while a new e-mail server with more storage space is installed.
All e-mail account information must be transferred to the new server, “so it’s quite the process,” NIC spokeswoman Stacy Hudson said.
E-mails sent to an NIC address after noon Friday will still go through, but account holders won’t be able to access them for one week.
Some departments and instructors adjusted their accounts so that all messages will forward to another account, but Hudson said the college is trying to keep that at a minimum because it could slow the upgrade.
– Meghann M. Cuniff