POST FALLS, Idaho — It's been nearly 50 years since any major work has been done on Avista's Hydroelectric Development North Channel Dam, originally constructed 118 years ago on the Spokane River.
Crews will soon begin rehabilitating the spillway, a project that is estimated to cost $56 million.
“It’s old, a lot of the equipment’s original from the 1906 construction," Avista project manager Greg Crossman said.
The work will be done to safely and reliably operate the facility and maintain the level of Lake Coeur d'Alene, he said.
"It's time," he said. "It's well past time to do a major modernization like this."
Crossman and his colleagues gave presentations and spoke with residents Wednesday evening during an open house at the Post Falls Police Department. About 20 community members attended and asked questions ranging from environmental impacts to preservation of the historical equipment.
The North Channel rehabilitation is slated to begin this spring. It is the first phase in the modernization of the historic facility, which consists of the North and South channel dams that control water levels of the Coeur d'Alene, St. Joe and St. Maries rivers as well as the Middle Channel Dam that houses six generating units that produce up to 15 megawatts of clean energy to power 11,250 homes.
Avista assessed the condition of the North Channel Dam in 2021 and found the need for the rehabilitation. The project will rehab the dam's concrete structures, replace its steel spillway gates and hoists and modernize the electrical and control systems.
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