USBR warns ice conditions may be changing

If you’re still venturing out onto the ice of Banks Lake, be careful, as it may not be as sturdy as it looks, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation warns as they begin pumping fresh water into the lake.

The USBR begins operating outlet works at Banks Lake/Dry Falls Dam on March 3 in preparation for the 2022 irrigation season, a Feb. 23 press release states. Reclamation started operating Potholes Reservoir/O’Sullivan Dam outlet works on Monday.

To prepare Banks Lake for the March 3 operation startup, Reclamation began pumping water from the John W. Keys III Pump-Generating Plant into the north end of Banks Lake on Feb. 27. 

Water is pumped up from Lake Roosevelt by the John Keys Pumping Plant to maintain Banks Lake elevations for Columbia Basin Project irrigation activities.

“Recreationalists on Banks Lake and Potholes Reservoir should be aware that operational activities could destabilize existing ice without obvious warning signs to indicate conditions have changed,” the agency warns. “Reclamation cautions ice anglers on Banks Lake and Potholes Reservoir that operational fill and spill activities may cause existing ice conditions to deteriorate rapidly and in a manner that may not be readily apparent to the casual observer.”