The top foot of Lake Pend Oreille will begin its trek to the Columbia River Monday, September 18th.  From there, it won’t be lowered more than a foot before September 25th or the 4th weekend and will begin its full drawdown around October 1st.  It is anticipated to be lowered to its lowest level of 2051 – 2051.5 by November 15th (when Kokanee typically begin lake spawning).

Historically the lake began its drop right after labor day, which many felt was too early as there are still weeks of prime boating and fishing left in September. In 2014, the State of Idaho struck a verbal deal with the US Army Corp of Engineers for a later drawdown. This agreement says the Corp will begin drawdown September 18th or the 3rd weekend in September, whichever is later, unless emergency conditions present themselves.