Area streams remain in check

Weekend rainfall has caused small rises in streams and rivers throughout the Kootenai Basin, but the rainfall is tapering off this afternoon and rivers and reservoirs will likely resume their recessions in the coming days, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

In Libby, both Parmenter and Flower creeks saw increases in water flow.

The reservoir at Libby Dam has been stable during the last 24 hours, remaining near 2,459.9 feet.  As forecast, the area experienced cooler temperatures and moderate to heavy rain during the weekend.  Flow in the Kootenai River upstream of Libby Dam rose through the day on Saturday but has receded Sunday attributed to the break between storms Saturday night, according to Kevin Shaffer, a hydraulic engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 

The weekend rain also has caused the Kootenai River at Bonners Ferry to rise slightly, and the river will continue to run near the flood stage of 1,764 feet.  Kootenay Lake at Queen’s Bay was stable Friday and has dropped another 0.1 feet Saturday, but may flatten out again or rise slightly due to additional rainfall. 

Rainfall amounts were heaviest Friday night through Saturday morning, with some areas of the basin receiving 1.5 inches.  Rainfall tapered off Saturday afternoon, but many areas have received an additional 0.1 to 0.6 inches of rain during that 24-hour span. 

The Corps recorded just 0.33 inches of rain Friday and Saturday.

Inflow to Libby Dam on Sunday was 43.9 cfs and the outflow was 43.0 cfs. On Sunday, according to the Corps weather station at the dam, 0.2 (two-tenths) inch of rain fell in the area.

The Corps will hold the current outflow of 43 kcfs until inflow recedes to below that level.  At this point it seems unlikely that it will be forced to increase outflow because of rising inflow, but the Corps will continue to monitor the effects of the recent rainfall.

The current Bonners Ferry stage is 1,763.9 feet, and has risen 0.4 feet since Friday.  The stage will likely be relatively stable for the next couple days, with minor rises and falls expected.  It is possible that the rain this morning could push the river slightly above flood stage of 1764 feet tonight.

The current water level on Kootenay Lake at Queen’s Bay is 1,752.6 feet, which is a decrease of 0.1 feet during the past 24 hours.  

Current projections have the lake relatively stable early this week before beginning to drop once again by mid-week.