Lake Roosevelt Updates
- Details
- Published: Monday, 17 January 2022 18:21
National Park Service
WINTER SERVICES
During the winter season, camping is only available in the Kettle Falls, Fort Spokane and Spring Canyon campgrounds. Reservations are required. Throughout the recreation area, no water service is available, and all dumpsters and trash cans have been removed. For more detailed information on available services, visit https://bit.ly/3Hx8ub2
Lincoln County
PORCUPINE BAY ROAD SLOPE STABILIZATION
A combination of vegetation, anchors and blankets are being installed over about 13,000 sq. ft. of slope below Porcupine Bay Road to reduce the possibility of the hillside sloughing into the water. Erosion is a key concern after Porcupine Bay Road (which is maintained by Lincoln County and provides public access to the Park Service Porcupine Bay Campground) washed out in 2017 due to a landslide. In 2019, Lincoln County reopened the road as part of a complex project to shore up and stabilize the hillside.
Fisheries
Thanks to the efforts of the Spokane Tribal Hatchery and WDFW’s Sherman Creek Hatchery, 600,000 rainbow trout triploids with their adipose fin clipped were raised and transferred to 63 net pens distributed between Keller Ferry and Kettle Falls. 45 net pens are operated by volunteers from the Lake Roosevelt Volunteer Net Pen Program and 18 by WDFW. The trout will be released from the net pens in May for anglers to enjoy.
Columbia River Treaty
The United States and Canada held the eleventh round of negotiations to modernize the Columbia River Treaty on December 9, 2021. The tenth round took place on June 29-30, 2020. “During this round,” reported the U.S. State Department, “the United States and Canada discussed ecosystem priorities, post-2024 flood risk management, and Canada’s desire for more operational flexibility.”
Bureau of Reclamation
CAYUSE COVE SHORELINE STABILIZATION
The Bureau of Reclamation began phase two of the Cayuse Cove Slope Stabilization project, which is located approximately 8 miles upstream of Porcupine Bay Campground on the Lincoln County side. Construction work includes stabilization of about 300 feet of shoreline with anchors, a cellular confinement system, rock, topsoil and planting. The project will stabilize the shoreline and halt bank erosion to prevent inadvertent exposure and loss of sensitive resources. The staging area was set up at the Porcupine Bay boat launch in December. Phase two construction will continue through May 27, 2022. This includes some access to the Porcupine Bay boat launch being reduced.
GRAND COULEE GENERATING UNITS G22–G24 OVERHAUL COMPLETION
A major overhaul of hydroelectric power generating units 22, 23 and 24 inside the Nathaniel “Nat” Washington Power Plant at Grand Coulee Dam are complete.
Each 805-megawatt hydroelectric unit (enough to meet the power needs of over 600,000 homes annually) was refurbished to ensure the mechanical and electrical surfaces were restored and returned to like-new condition.
Activities included approximately 6.5 million pounds of steel being removed from each unit once every component down to the turbine runner was fully taken apart. Once disassembled, each component was then sand blasted, welded, ground, polished, and repainted before reassembly.
The result of this multi-year, multi-million-dollar effort is that critical power supply is secured for years to come. In addition, the generating units will now operate with less wear and tear, making them more reliable and efficient.