Kokanee bed restoration delayed
BAYVIEW, Idaho – A North Idaho developer blamed for destroying critical kokanee salmon spawning beds while building a marina on Lake Pend Oreille in April has been given an extra month to meet a deadline to complete habitat restoration.
Under a plan approved by the state, developer Bob Holland had until Oct. 1 to finish rehabilitation of the spawning grounds.
The habitat was damaged after crews working for Holland pounded steel pilings in the lake bed for the marina, scraped through spawning grounds and killed thousands of young fish in what the state said is one of lake’s last remaining spawning areas for wild kokanee. At the time, Holland, owner of Waterford Park Developments LLC, did not have a permit to do the work.
The restoration plan includes removal of debris from the lake floor and requires divers to vacuum sediment from the gravel bed that accumulated during the illegal construction of Harborview Marina last spring.
Officials for the Idaho Department of Lands say they have moved back the deadline to Nov. 7, coinciding with the time when kokanee begin their annual spawning in the lake.
Ed Robinson, area supervisor for the Idaho Department of Lands, said Holland completed the first phase of the plan, removing debris from the lake floor. But he said efforts to filter silt from the sediment-choked gravel has yet to begin.
Robinson said Holland opted to cease restoration after a study by Golder Associates concluded that the Harborview site was similar enough to another viable spawning site nearby. The study, funded by Holland, was rejected in part by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game last month.
Holland did not immediately return phone messages left by the Coeur d’Alene Press.
But Dennis Scott, development manager for Waterford Park Developments, said the company is still negotiating with the state to keep its end of the bargain.
“Our message is we’re not backing away from doing what we’re required to do,” Scott said Wednesday. “The issue now is more of timing when that work should be done. We’ve said we’re going to do what we need to do.”
Scott said the study by Golder Associates found little difference in silt content between the damaged spawning beds and another spawning site on the lake. Still, Scott said, state officials want the silt removed along with excess sand from the bed.
Waterford Park Developments has a contractor ready to do the restoration, but that company, Ohio-based Streamside Services, one of just a handful capable of doing such projects, is unable to begin until later this month. Scott also estimates it would take 20 days to remove silt and sand, a time frame that would overlap into the spawning season.
Based on data from their report, Scott contends the best solution is to postpone silt and sand removal until next year.
“We’re negotiating with the state about doing the mitigation work, revisiting the data from our report and trying to come up with a plan that doesn’t need to be done right now,” Scott said.