Lake Type: Natural Freshwater Lake, Dammed 
Water Level Control: Avista
Surface Area: 30,000 acres
Shoreline Length: 135 miles
Normal Elevation: 2,125 feet
Minimum Elevation: 2,120 feet
Maximum Elevation: 2,139 feet
Average Depth: 120 feet
Maximum Depth: 220 feet
Water Volume: 2,269,996 acre ft
Completion Year: 1906
Water Residence Time: 183 days
Drainage Area: 1,475 sq.miles
Trophic State: Oligotrophic
Water to Aquifer: 89 mgd
Native American Indians have lived for thousands of years in north Idaho and on the shores of Coeur d’Alene Lake. The southern third of the lake is currently owned by the Coeur d’Alene Tribe. An executive order issued by Ulysses S. Grant in 1873 transferred ownership to the Tribe. The Coeur d’Alene Indian Reservation originally included the entire lake, but after a series of treaty negotiations, the reservation was reduced to its present size.
Coeur d’Alene Lake is a glacier-formed lake whose depth was increased by the construction of the Post Falls Dam in 1906. The dam was funded by ten investors and ultimately owned and operated by Avista Utilities for hydroelectric generation, flood control and irrigation. The water level of the lake is controlled naturally except when Avista Utilities adjusts the level to meet FERQ licensing requirements. Sources for the lake include the St. Joe, St. Maries and the Coeur d’Alene Rivers. Progress continues in mitigating the introduction of mining contamination from the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River by reducing this inflow into Lake Coeur d’Alene. The lake flows outward to the Spokane River, which flows west about 25 miles into east central Washington.
Organizations Protecting Coeur d’ Alene Lake
Coeur d’Alene Tribe
Our Gem Coeur d’Alene Lake Collabroative
Kootenai Environmental Alliance – Coeur d’Alene Lake Waterkeeper
Inland NW Land Conservancy – Protecting Lake Coeur d’Alene Forest Land
Aquifer Protection Districts Kootenai County, Idaho
Studies, Reports, Articles and Presentations
City of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho – Management Plan 2007-2027.pdf
Idaho Department of Environmental Quality Coeur d’Alene Lake Management
USGS Scientific Studies in Northern Idaho – Active Studies – Coeur d’Alene River Basin Water Quality and Completed Studies – Coeur d’Alene Lake Water Quality, Coeur d’Alene Lake Water Budget
Enjoy a bicycle ride along the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes Download Map
