The owners of Paulina Lake Lodge have filed a lawsuit against the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, saying a fish screen maintained by the agency triggered destructive flooding in winter 2015.

Fish screens at the outlet of Paulina Lake, which is east of La Pine, froze and became clogged in February 2015, according to the lodge’s lawsuit filed early this month in Deschutes County Circuit Court. The outlet is to Paulina Creek.

“… the water level at Paulina Lake increased to a level that caused flooding at the Resort and substantial property damage to (the resort),” according to the lawsuit. The flooding caused $105,000 in damage to the lodge’s dock and cost it $45,000 in lost income, the lawsuit claims.

The lodge’s owners, who have owned the resort since 2000, seek $150,000 from the Department of Fish and Wildlife plus interest. The owners and their attorney were not available for comment Friday. The lodge rents cabins and boats, sells bait and tackle and offers meals in a restaurant.

Department of Fish and Wildlife officials were surprised by the lawsuit, which has been turned over to their legal counsel in Salem, said Brett Hodgson, district fisheries biologist for the agency in Bend.

“I think we are generally of the opinion that the damage (the lodge) incurred is from a major storm, rain and snow event,” he said Friday.

The fish screen at Paulina Lake has been in for decades, Hodgson said. In fall 2014 the agency installed a small screen panel, in addition to the screen, on the spillway to Paulina Lake’s dam. In response to complaints from the lodge it removed the panel in spring 2015.

In the more than 15 years the owners have had the lodge, winter 2015 was the only time they experienced flooding, according to the lawsuit. They argue that Department of Fish and Wildlife officials did not conduct a study on the workability of the fish screen and did not regularly inspect or maintain it.

— Reporter: 541-617-7812,

ddarling@bendbulletin.com