CdA Lake drawdown begins Tuesday

The annual fall drawdown of Lake Coeur d’Alene will begin on Tuesday. The lake level will be gradually lowered about a foot by the end of September, giving property owners time to secure boats and docks for the winter season, Avista officials said Friday. After September, the drawdown rate will increase to about 1.5 feet a month until reaching the winter elevation of 2,122 feet. The summer level of the lake behind Post Falls Dam is about 2,128 feet. The drawdown will increase flows in the Spokane River, but dam operators do not plan to open the dam’s spill gates.