SANDPOINT - The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for Lake Pend Oreille on Friday.

The weather service said seasonal temperatures, continued snowmelt and a rainy forecast will result in a gradual rise of the lake's level that will continue through next week.

The lake was at 2,063.05 feet late Friday afternoon and ascending to the flood stage elevation of 2,063.5 feet. The lake is forecasted to reach 2,064.4 feet by Friday, June 17.

Flood stage means minor flooding can be expected and erosional damage along windward shoreline is also possible. Once the lake reaches 2,064 feet, minor flooding in the Clark Fork and Pack river valleys is possible.

Flooding of some lakeside homes and docks is likely if the lake were to reach 2,065.5 feet, according to the weather service.

Bonner County Emergency Management has received no reports of any homes being flooded, although two roads which traverse swollen rivers are being threatened.

Part of Johnson Creek Road on the south side of the Clark Fork River is in danger of sloughing away. LeClerc Creek Road next to the Pend Oreille River east of Oldtown is also being impacted, said Emergency Management Director Bob Howard.

Howard said the county is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' flood-mitigation teams to protect the two roads with riprap and rock. The projects are commencing today.

Both those routes were impacted during flooding in 1997, when the lake reached 2,065.74 feet, Howard said.

Flood concerns appear to be jangling nerves on the east side of Bonner County. Howard said his office, fire officials and dispatchers have been fielding calls from residents who heard rumors that dams on the Clark Fork River in Montana had failed.

Howard said the rumors are "completely unfounded."

There was a breach in a tertiary levee on a minor tributary of the Clark Fork near Plains, Mont. Tuesday's breach resulted in localized flooding in an undeveloped area, Howard said.

Avista Corp. reported that the Cabinet Gorge and Noxon Rapids dams were functioning normally, Howard said.

Howard does not want the public to be too comfortable about the prospect of flooding because there are concerns. However, there is currently no need for extremely heightened alarm.

"I'm just trying to lower the panic level," he said.

Homeowners who are trying to gauge their flood risk are reminded to add 3.87 feet to weather service and corps lake elevation reports to determine the corresponding elevation on more precise Federal Emergency Management Agency floodplain insurance rate maps.

Should the lake reach the major flood stage elevation of 2,069 feet, lakeside homes and docks would be significantly impacted, according to the weather service. Significant flooding in the Pack and Clark Fork river valleys could also occur.

Portions of downtown Sandpoint could be inundated if the lake were to reach 2,071 feet.

The most historic crest of Lake Pend Oreille occurred in 1948, when it reached 2,071.62 feet. The lake rose to 2,067.11 feet in 1950.

Construction of the dam began in 1951 in response flooding in the Columbia Basin.

The lake topped out at the 2,065-foot level in 1997, 1974 and 1972, according to the weather service.

Landowners who need sandbags can call Bonner County Emergency Management at 265-8867. Landowners within established fire protection districts can also coordinate with their local fire officials.

Public safety officials urge motorists not to try and drive on flood-stricken routes. As little as a foot of water can move most vehicles off a flooded road.