Debris enters lake; boaters to use caution

By Ben Olson
Reader Staff

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials are advising boaters to watch for additional debris in Lake Pend Oreille after a breach in a drift yard facility allowed some logs and debris to enter the lake.

The Corps gathers most debris from the Clark Fork before it enters the lake and stores it in the Clark Fork Drift Facility until it can be disposed. A piece of the log boom, a barrier of logs chained together to contain debris, failed late Tuesday, June 28, allowing 20-30 10-foot long by 1-foot diameter logs and some smaller debris to enter the upper lake.

“We dispatched a crew and temporarily patched the breach,” said Albeni Falls Dam Operations Project Manager Ryne Linehan. “We’re now focused on monitoring the structure and a permanent fix.”

Until the breach is fully repaired, the Corps advises boaters and the public to use caution, and be alert for logs and debris which can float just beneath the water.