Dams and Deltas of Lake Pend Oreille
| Location | Date Visited | Airport of Departure | Airplane Specs |
|---|
| Idaho | Spring 2024 | KSZT | CE-182a |
| Mission |
|---|
| Investigating the effects of hydrology on the Pend Oreille area community. |
Views of the Pack River Delta
Cabinet Gorge Dam was opened in 1952 and began regulating the flow of the Clark Fork River, the primary feeder into Lake Pend Oreille. Three years later, the Albeni Falls Dam was opened on the Pend Oreille River, regulating the primary outflow of the lake. According to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the completion of Albeni Falls Dam flooded approximately 6,600 acres of wetlands and Marshes.
In addition to wildlife habitat losses and negative impacts on populations of various species including Kokanee Salmon and the endangered Bull Trout, farmers and ranchers also lost fertile, irrigable land. Some say they were unfairly compensated for their property losses.
location of sites
The dams also brought great benefits to the Lake Pend Oreille region and beyond. In addition to producing over 460 megawatt hours of electricity each year, the dams provide flooding protection and have increased access to certain recreational activities such as summer watersports. Combined, these factors and others have had positive economic impacts on some of the communities around the lake.
Clark Fork Delta
According to Idaho Fish and Game, hydrological changes resulting from the dams have caused erosion, siltation and other problems in the Clark Fork and Pack River deltas. Idaho Fish and Game, in conjunction with the Bonneville power administration and others completed a project in the Clark Fork Delta in 2022 where shoreline was armored with rock and new islands and roads were built throughout the delta. A similar project is currently under construction in the Pack River delta and is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2024.
Albeni Falls Dam
Public opinion of these projects vary. Some people are grateful for the employment associated with the projects, primarily in heavy equipment operation, certain hunters and anglers are optimistic about the promise of increased habitat for some specific game species. We have spoken with others who are alarmed at the massive soil disruption and road building in riparian areas, wildlife disturbance and increases in runoff associated with these projects. Tires on heavy equipment were slashed during the Clark Fork Delta Project and security is enhanced at the ongoing Pack River Delta Project.
Cabinet George Dam
The images we captured in telling this story have already been used by the Idaho Conservation League and the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality to support advocacy, oversight and enforcement.
Reach out to Idaho Fish and game or the Idaho Conservation League for further information.
https://idfg.idaho.gov/press/heavy-construction-underway-clark-fork-delta-restoration-project
https://www.bpa.gov/learn-and-participate/public-involvement-decisions/project-reviews/clark-fork-river-delta-restoration
https://www.idahoconservation.org/icl-in-the-news/
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The Altitude Project