Under a sky of cloud cover, Post Falls resident Benny Ramirez took advantage of weather Wednesday to fit in some fishing at Independence Point. 

For Ramirez and other folks recreating on Lake Coeur d'Alene, the water level is sitting at an elevation of 2,127.41, 7 inches below normal maximum summer level.

The lake, expected to be crowded this holiday weekend with highs in the 80s and 90s, will continue to decrease and likely be down about 9 inches from the normal maximum summer elevation by Labor Day due to low inflows into the lake. 

However, boaters should be good to go as Avista won’t be affecting the water elevation until next week. 

“We haven’t changed the discharge level since Aug. 5 and we won’t be changing them until the Tuesday after Labor Day,” Avista spokesman Jared Webley said.  

Webley noted that Avista’s Federal Energy Regulatory Commission license requires it to balance Lake Coeur d’Alene levels so summer activities on the lake and Spokane River are possible during peak use.

The FERC requirements balance the needs of fisheries and water quality in addition to public recreation needs.  

The lake is lower as Kootenai County is experiencing a mixture of severe and extreme drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.    

Hydrologist Meg Wolf, who works at the Idaho Water Resources Research Institute, said when the area goes through prolonged drought, it reduces the recharging of the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer since more water evaporates rather than collects for long enough to go back into the aquifer. 

Water levels between Lake Coeur d'Alene and the Post Falls bridge are about 6 inches below normal summer level at 2,127.23 at the Spokane Street Bridge above the Post Falls Dam.  

Avista also anticipates the level of the water above the dam to decrease over the next week. 

    Waves lap on the shore of Lake Coeur d'Alene Wednesday.