Banks Lake Water Pumping Could Make for Unstable Ice Fishing

Banks Lake is a man-made reservoir in northern Grant County, created decades ago from the work done to build Grand Coulee Dam. Now, it's getting more water, and this could affect ice fishing and other 'recreation.'

   The Bureau of Reclamation will begin pumping water into the lake this Saturday

Banks Lake usually freezes over in the winter, and the ice is thick enough for ice fishing, which is a popular past time on the 27-mile long body of water.

The Grant County Sheriff's Office says the Bureau is going to begin pumping water into the lake this coming Saturday, February 22nd, and will continue to add for several days to get ready for spring.

This will raise the water levels, and officials say it could compromise the safety of the ice, break it up, and make it thinner, which would make ice fishing more dangerous.

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They urge fishermen to carefully test and evaluate conditions before they venture out onto the ice beginning this Saturday.