Possible Flooding

CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED

Lake Pend Oreille elevation at Hope: 2,059.2 feet 
Albeni Falls Dam outflow: 78,200 cubic feet per second

Good Afternoon,

Current changes and highlights:

- Outflow from Albeni Falls dam is projected to exceed 95 kcfs flood flow by this weekend.
- Lake Pend Oreille is expected to exceed normal full pool of 2062.5' by early next week. 
- Albeni Falls Dam is on free-flow.
- The Kalispel Tribe of Indians will be hosting a sand bagging class on Wednesday, May 9th.
- Public flood information meeting in Cusick, Washington, on Friday May 11.

Continued snowmelt and increases in river levels are expected this week. Outflow from Albeni Falls Dam is projected to exceed 95 kcfs flood stage between Friday and Saturday, with outflows expected to continue to rise to 105 kcfs by early next week. Additionally, Lake Pend Oreille is expected to exceed normal full pool of 2062.5' by early next week. 

Albeni Falls Dam is on free-flow, and will remain so until further notice. Albeni Falls Dam outflows are now completely controlled by the natural constriction between Lake Pend Oreille and the dam; outflows will vary gradually as the lake level varies. This operation will allow Albeni Falls Dam to release the maximum flow possible in order to reduce flood risk upstream and downstream of the dam.

Short term modeling forecasts are provided by the Northwest River Forecast Center.  Their projections for Albeni Falls Dam inflow, outflow and the Lake Pend Oreille at the Hope gage can be found here:
http://www.nwrfc.noaa.gov/river/station/flowplot/flowplot.cgi?lid=ALFW1

Projections for future operations at Albeni Falls Dam can be found here:
http://www.nwd-wc.usace.army.mil/nws/hh/www/pend_esp.html

The Kalispel Tribe of Indians will be hosting a Sand Bagging Class open to the public on Wednesday, May 9th at 3:00 pm at the Kalispel Tribal Boat launch at the Pow Wow Grounds. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be conducting the training. Sand bags will be available. For more information on the Sand Bagging Training please contact: Corrie Johnson, Kalispel Tribe of Indians Emergency Manager/Fire Chief; cjohnson@kalispeltribe.com; (509) 671-1698

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Pend Oreille County are hosting an Albeni Falls Dam operations public flood information meeting in Cusick, Washington, on Friday May 11,  starting at 6:00pm. Representatives from the Corps and National Weather Service will discuss water supply forecasts, Albeni Falls Dam operations, and flood risk for this spring and summer in the Pend Oreille River. Members of the public, elected officials, and stakeholders with an interest in Albeni Falls Dam and the Pend Oreille River are encouraged to attend. 

Public Information Meeting Details:
Friday, May 11, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Cusick High School Gym
305 Monumental Way
Cusick, WA 99119


Jon Moen
Hydraulics and Hydrology Branch
Water Management Section
Seattle District Corps of Engineers
206-764-3561

CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED