Kokanee won’t run Lake Pend Oreille dam level

By Rich Landers
Spokesman Review

Kokanee no longer pack enough influence to keep the U.S. Corps of Engineers from fluctuating water levels at Lake Pend Oreille during winter.

Since 1996, the lake level behind Albeni Falls Dam has generally – not always – been kept above elevation 2,055 feet to avoid dewatering the eggs kokanee deposit in shoreline gravels until the fish hatch and can swim away.

But despite years of research, the Idaho Fish and Game Department has not been able to positively show that maintaining higher winter levels results in better production from wild kokanee eggs, said Jim Fredericks, department regional fisheries manager.

That means the lake levels are likely to fluctuate between elevations of 2,055 and the minimum level of 2,051 feet this winter depending on weather and power demands. Read more