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Pacific Northwest Region
Boise, Idaho
Media Contact:
John Redding
(208) 378-5212
Jonathon Brooks
(509) 754-0208

Released On: November 25, 2011

Reclamation is Gradually Refilling Banks Lake
The Bureau of Reclamation announced today that Banks Lake is gradually starting to refill as work crews continue scheduled maintenance projects at a 27-mile-long reservoir located between Electric City and Coulee City, Washington.

The Banks Lake refill timeline includes:

Dec. 31: a maximum reservoir elevation of 1550 feet or lower until Jan. 1, 2012. This is an increase from its current elevation of 1538 feet.

After Jan. 1, 2012: pumping can resume until the reservoir reaches its normal operating range of 1565 feet to 1570 feet

The drawdown was necessary to make needed repairs on the Main Canal Headworks at Dry Falls Dam and the Feeder Canal at the North Dam which impound the reservoir and provide water to the Columbia Basin Project.

The $2 million maintenance project started in July and will be completed around March 2012, at the start of the irrigation season. The last maintenance drawdown at Banks Lake was about 17 years ago. Banks Lake is an off-stream storage facility completed by Reclamation in 1951; it is filled with water from Lake Roosevelt behind Grand Coulee Dam.

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Reclamation is the largest wholesale water supplier and the second largest producer of hydroelectric power in the United States, with operations and facilities in the 17 Western States. Its facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife benefits. Visit our website at www.usbr.gov.