Strong’s Island project set for July

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District has announced the closure of Albeni Cove Recreation Area for the 2021 season in order to stage materials for Strong’s Island bank stabilization work.

Strong’s Island encompasses a mid-channel island of the Pend Oreille River in Bonner County, Idaho. The island is approximately three miles downstream from the community of Priest River.

Erosion from wave action and season sloughing continues to be a problem on the western end of the island. Over time, the western end eroded, changing the island from having a pointed tip to having a rounded tip today.

To combat the erosion, USACE will use thousands of pounds of rock and other materials to construct a rock revetment.

Project materials are being staged at the recreation area beginning this fall and construction is expected to occur July to September 2021.

During construction, the Albeni Cove Recreation Area will remain closed to the public for the entire normal operating season. The closure is for the safety of the public, as heavy equipment would be hauling, placing rock in the staging areas (parking lots), then moving the rock to barges during the following summer construction season, stated the Army Corps.