U.S., Canada coordinating on flood control
July 4, 2012
Water managers and dam operators in the United States and Canada are working together to reduce the impacts of flooding along the Kootenai River. On Monday, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and B.C. Hydro reached an agreement for the second time in a week to increase lake level in the Koocanusa Reservoir.

Rainfall in June set records throughout the region, with some areas receiving 400-percent of normal rainfall for the month. Bonners Ferry received 5.24 inches of rain in June, 315-percent of the June average of 1.66 inches. The previous June record in Bonners Ferry was set in 1981, when 3.96 inches of rain fell.

Along with above-average snow pack, the water storage capacity in the Koocanusa Reservoir, normally 2,459 feet, was increased by one foot last week, and the two countries agreed to an additional one-foot increase Monday evening, which will allow the water level on the lake to be increased to 2,461 feet if necessary, so as to reduce flood damage on the Kootenai River and Kootenay Lake.

As of Tuesday inflow at Libby Dam stood at about 60,000 cfs with outflow ramped up to 48,000 cfs. As of Monday night, elevation on the Koocanusa Reservoir was at 2,459.2 feet and rising by about six inches per day. By raising the maximum pool limit behind Libby Dam, discharges into the Kootenai River can be kept lower. It is estimated that the increase in pool elevation will keep the river level at Bonners Ferry 0.4 feet lower than would be the case if full discharge to maintain the 2,459 elevation.

The Kootenai River level is expected to reach 66.63-feet by tonight, which is 2.63 feet above flood stage. The level is expected to remain near that level through July 7, when it should start dropping. It is expected to return to flood stage, 64-feet, by July 9, and drop to 63-feet by July 11.

Local emergency incident commander Bob Graham has been going from the wee hours of morning until late in the evening responding to reports of trouble, and two Army Corps response teams are in Boundary County providing assistance.

Early on, about 300 "super sack" sandbags were used to shore up 500 feet of levy maintained by the City of Bonners Ferry behind the Kootenai Rive Inn, with many volunteers turning out to assist. On Monday, the lower, below-ground level at General Feed and Grain were flooded by seepage, and problems with the dikes in the Copeland area worsened on Tuesday, though, as yet, no dikes have been breached.

There have been a handful of homes in the county surrounded by water and a few drives made impassable by flood waters, and there has been considerable seepage in farm land along the Kootenai River. No damage estimates have yet been made, but in 2006, when similar flooding occurred, monetary damages neared $1-million, mostly in lost crops and damage to dikes.