PLSA to host meeting on lake issues
Bonner County Daily Bee | UPDATED 7 years, 7 months AGO
PRIEST RIVER — The Priest Lake Sportsmen’s Association will be hosting a meeting to have the Idaho Department of Fish and Game discuss the potential for using a cold-water bypass system in Priest Lake. The intent is to reduce downstream water temperatures to enhance trout populations in Priest River. The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 22, 6:30 p.m., at the Priest Lake Elementary School.
Priest River offers high quality trout habitat that could support greater numbers of trout than are currently present, were it not for periods of high water temperatures each summer downstream from Priest Lake, Temperature modeling by Portland State University experts shows that replacing a portion of the warm surface outflow from Priest Lake with cold water drawn from the deeper portion of Priest Lake would prevent the river from becoming too warm for trout during the hottest months of summer.
Cooling the river would be expected to substantially increase trout populations including westslope cutthroat trout, and provide a quality sport fishery. The surrounding communities would experience benefits to the local economy and water quality.
Similar systems have been used in Michigan and Washington to create high quality trout habitat and sport fisheries.
No decision has been made to implement a cold water bypass at this time. IDFG will be working with an engineering firm to assess alternatives for providing cold water downstream of the lake. The work will help estimate costs and determine approaches that avoid impacts to navigation, aesthetics, or lake level management.
Under the largest withdrawal scenario, less than 5 percent of the hypolimnion (deep, cold water layer during summer stratification) of Priest Lake would be needed. A preliminary assessment indicates this would not have an effect on water quality or ecology of Priest Lake. If the concept proves feasible from other perspectives, a more thorough assessment of whether cold water withdrawal would affect the lake ecology would be conducted.
Individuals with disabilities may request meeting accommodations by contacting Grant Brockus, President of the Priest Lake Sportsman’s Association at 208-443-3177; or, through the Idaho Relay Service at 1-800-377-2529 (TDD).