Runoff and river flows are declining in the Kootenai Basin, allowing for reduced releases at Libby Dam and some flood relief at Bonners Ferry, Idaho.

Kootenai River flows that were more than two feet above flood stage at Bonners Ferry last week started dropping around July 4 and are now projected to slowly drop below flood stage by the end of this week.

According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Libby Dam was releasing 43,000 cubic feet per second on Wednesday, including 18,600 cfs that is being spilled.

Inflows into Lake Koocanusa were at 45,800 cfs, still more than releases at the dam.

Lake Koocanusa reached a record high elevation of 2,459.88 feet last week. Full pool is 2,459 feet. As of Tuesday, the reservoir was still .62 feet above full pool.

Continued high inflows are expected, however, so the reservoir elevation is expected to slowly rise again.

“The hot weather will continue through the week but we are expecting inflow to peak soon as the snowpack diminishes,” said Scott Lawrence, a public affairs specialist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Seattle.

“Basins that still have snowpack, including the mainstem of the Kootenai upstream of Libby Dam, have been rising since late last week due to the recent warm weather but are relatively stable today.”

Record June rains — more than 400 percent of average across the Kootenai Basin — put the Corps in a position of having to release water over Libby Dam’s spillway, contributing to flood conditions at Bonners Ferry.

Last week, a Corps team helped with emergency repairs to an eroding levee that protects an approach to a bridge on the river. The work involved placing riprap armor along 500 feet of the levee’s riverward face.

Previous work involved protecting about 500 feet of a levee that protects the Kootenai River Inn Casino and Spa with about 300 “super sack” sandbags.

Even with continued high releases from Libby Dam, the Kootenai River at Bonners Ferry is expected to continue dropping very slowly over the next week.